Hogwarts Houswives
by Joyce LaKee
Summary: The drama Rowling didn't write about while the kids were away at school...PLEASE REVIEW
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling

"I gotta step out for some air."

Karen patted her husband on the arm after she piled the books she was carrying on top of the books he was carrying. She took a quick look around to find her daughter, but she was talking to those friends of hers. Good enough. _I gotta get out of the "Flourish and_ _Languish" or the "Batty Broomsticks" or whatever they call this place_. She brushed by Molly Weasly who was waiting breathlessly in line to get her book signed by some author Karen had never heard of. Fine, whatever. As if she would read Gilderoy Lockheart over Danielle Steele. She opened the door and with a sigh of relief, stepped into the relatively fresh air.

Fresh air. Yeah, right. The narrow streets and closely packed bodies made her claustrophobic. She sidled across the sidewalk along the front of the bookstore, then stepped back down the alley where it was quieter. There were some discarded packing crates piled up against the wall, some litter on the ground. She grabbed the cleanest looking crate and sat down on it. Then she reached into her purse and took out her pack of smokes. Tapping the edge, she selected one cig, then flicked her bic.

One drag in, then a long exhale. There. There was the fresh air she longed for. Her husband and daughter hated her habit, so that's why she hid it. She thought about her daughter. Hermione was going into her second year at Hogwarts and Karen was happy for her. Hermione had come home for summer vacation so excited about the things she had learned and the new friends she had made. And yet, Karen felt a distance, a pulling away from her. Hermione had seen and done things Karen could barely understand. Maybe it was Hogwarts. Maybe Hermione would have started pulling away around this age anyway. Not that Karen had much to complain about. Her daughter was a good kid.

Her daughter's absence had given Karen time to think. That was not a good thing. She realized she was bored. Bored out of her skull. Karen had always been an exciting girl, and a bit of a drama queen. Her husband was a good man and all, but...

Karen stood up, cigarette in hand. Deftly, she took off her jacket. She had gotten overheated in that store. Apparantly, wizards had never heard of a little thing called HVAC. She took another drag. School shopping would be over soon, then she could get back home, take a long hot bath with candles and a glass of wine, or two, or three. But, who was counting?

She leaned over to drape her jacket over the packing crate and stood up. She turned around as she was smoothing her knit tee shirt and found herself being watched warily by a man with long blond hair. He carried a walking stick and wore a long black robe. Karen turned her head away to take another drag, crossed her arms, then let her cigarette arm dangle. She peered at him sidewise, under her lashes. _These wizards are_ _something else_, she thought. _Dress like that at home, and you'd get yourself beat up_. She was aware that she stood out like a sore thumb in her slacks and fitted shirts and jackets. Oh, well. She was a "muggle" (_ridiculus word, like something made up out of a storybook_) and she wasn't about to change. She leaned her back against the wall and stared straight out in front of her. She sensed he was still looking at her, and he wasn't precisely friendly. Whereas Molly had been friendly when they met, this man looked hostile. She didn't like this guy.

Lucius Malfoy had completed his mission. Slip the diary to an unsuspecting victim, then get out of there. He had ducked into the alley to collect himself when he realized he wasn't alone. A muggle woman with shoulder length, light brown hair cut in the latest muggle style. Around his age, attractive enough in a muggle sort of way, she hadn't let herself go, anyhow. When he saw her face, he knew who she was. Granger's mother. They were the spitting image of each other. She looked at him briefly between puffs of her cigarette, then pretended to ignore him. Lucius knew better.

He was starting to rant inwardly about muggles on his territory as he looked at her, but something occured to him. She was no happier than he was about being here. In fact, she looked downright bored! This made him even madder. How could this insolent little muggle be bored in his world? She should be feeling awe, or envy, or fear. Then, the muggle spoke.

"You know, if you took a picture, it would last longer." Her voice was heavily sarcastic. She was still looking at the wall opposite her.

"I beg your pardon, madam?"

Karen deigned to look at him, sidewise, through a veil of smoke. "You've been staring at me since you got here. If there's something you want to say, say it already."

"How dare you speak to me like that! Do you have any idea who I am?"

Karen laughed and turned to face him. "Oh, spare me. I don't know who you are, but I know what you are. You're one of those wizards who thinks he's all that. But let me tell you something, buddy." She walked over and stood six inches away from him. "Take away your magic tricks and fancy little toys and you wouldn't survive 15 minutes in my world." She flipped her hair at him and walked back to her packing crate. "Besides, you were looking at me, pal, not the other way around." She tossed her cigarette on the ground and squashed it vehemently with her toe. What was the big hold up in the store?

Lucius looked at her in open mouthed astonishment. Few wizards would dare talk to him like that. They feared his power and his family connections too much. Yet, unbidden, he admired her spunk. She couldn't be unaware of how defenceless she was here, but she stood up to him anyway. She was not at all like his pale, well-bred Narcissa. He also could not allow that last remark to slide.

Is that some sort of a challenge?"

Karen was putting her jacket back on, and she turned to look at him. "Maybe it was."

"Don't be so confident I won't take you up on it."

"That you couldn't survive in my world? Fine. Just name the time and the terms."

"In my own good time, madam."

Karen shrugged and walked past him, towards the storefront. When she was almost to the sidewalk, she looked over her shoulder and grinned. "Caught you looking." Then she winked at him and continued on her way. Maybe she had found the cure for her boredom.

PLEASE REVIEW!!!


	2. Molly and Steve

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling. I made up Hermione's parent's first names because I couldn't find any reference to their actual names. If anyone knows them, let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes.

Molly Weasley was a woman obsessed. For months now, she had followed the exploits of Gilderoy Lockheart. She compulsively read all his books, scanned the newspapers for any news of him, daydreamed about him, tried to work him into at least one conversation a day. Now, she was going to meet him in person. She was glad Harry was with them when Lockheart pulled him up onto the dais to be photographed with him. Here was her chance to get up close to him. For an autograph, or whatever. She had dressed with care and practiced her most alluring expression for this moment.

The moment came. She brought her book to the table to be signed, which he did with a flourish, then he looked into her eyes and winked at her. Then...nothing. Molly wasn't sure what happened, but something was missing--some indefineable something. Somehow the sparkle had gone out of the afternoon. Up close, Molly realized, he was nothing but a wizard, after all, and actually, kind of pathetic. She stepped down off the dais disappointed. Suddenly her crush on him seemed juvenile and silly, and she felt silly as well. Maybe meeting celebrities up close was a bad idea and doomed to failure.

She wandered up and down the aisles of the store. It was too soon to leave, her children had not bought all their books yet. She sat down wearily on an empty chair and looked around her, lost in her thoughts. She was surrounded by people, some she knew, some she didn't. She saw Steve Granger standing with an unwieldy pile of books in his arms. Molly had watched without interest as Karen shoved her books at him and made a beeline out of the store. Karen ought to be nicer to Steve, Molly thought suddenly. Then, she blushed. The Grangers' marital problems certainly were none of her business. She sat back in the chair and crossed her legs, twiddling the book carelessly between her hands. Shopping was taking forever, just like every year. But now that the children were older, they handled more of the actual shopping. She was just the transportation.

Steve paid for the books, then looked around for his wife and daughter. Hermione was still with her friends. She looked so happy that he didn't want to interrupt her. Karen must still be outside smoking. Yes, he knew that's where she went. She'd had that look in her eyes before she shoved the books at him. Classic nicotine fit. He looked around and saw an empty seat over next to that nice Molly Weasley. He headed towards it and was halfway there when someone else went to sit down. Steve paused, looking for another chair, when he saw Molly put her purse on the seat and explain something to the witch. The other witch looked annoyed, but she didn't make a scene. She moved on, and Molly nodded directly at Steve and patted the chair.

He sank into the chair gratefully, smiling wryly at Molly as he did so. "Long day shopping," he said.

"It's even longer when you don't have any help," she replied.

Steve wondered at that. Was she referring to herself, or him? He felt a little defensive for Karen, and wanted to start making excuses. Molly was looking at him with an open, innocent expression. He shouldn't make so much out of an passing remark. Yet, he had to admit he was annoyed that Karen had run off like that.

"So, how do you like Diagon Alley?" Molly asked him.

"Like nothing I ever imagined. Yet, look at Hermione. She's right at home as if she was born to it."

Molly nodded and smiled in the direction of the kids.

"It doesn't take long to get used to our way of life."

"That man's quite the celebrity, isn't he?" Steve said, jerking his head towards Lockheart.

Molly flipped her book open to show him the autograph. "Got my copy, right here," she said with a grimace. Steve grinned at her. Molly couldn't stop from blushing. "It's juvenile, I know. Get your teasing over with now."

"No, Molly, it's all right. There's nothing wrong with being a fan."

"Even at my age?"

"No, not even at your age. Twenty-nine, is it?" Was he trying to flirt with her, he thought with a shock.

"Now I know you're full of baloney," she said, resting her hand lightly on his arm.

"Don't be too sure of what you know," he said, quietly.

Maybe Molly had found the cure for her Lockheart obsession.


	3. Arthur and Tonks

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling. I made up Hermione's parent's first names because I couldn't find any reference to their actual names. If anyone knows them, let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes.

Several stores over, a young woman was enjoying a day off, and was standing in line for a drink, when a mild commotion at the door made her turn around. She had been lost in daydreams and barely noticed the people behind her. Therefore, it was with great shock that she recognized her co-worker from the Ministry of Magic, Arthur Weasley.

The young woman, "Tonks" as she liked to be called, gasped and whirled back to face the counter. He hadn't seen her. She wasn't ready to be seen. She had thrown on some old clothes and quickly ran a comb through her tangerine colored hair before dashing out the door to do some errands. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she thought. Her mother had always advised her to look her best when she was out in public, and Tonks just blew this advice off. I mean, who takes the advice of a woman who thinks naming children "Nymphadora" is a good idea? But, now she would have to suffer the humiliation of facing Mr. Weasley looking like an unmade bed.

Now or later? That was the question. She would have to turn around after she bought her snack, anyway. But, if she looked around casually now, she could act surprised, and that would give her some more time to talk to him. As if she had anything to say that would spark the interest of a man like Arthur Weasley. Older, more experienced. She sighed. She had always had a thing for older men.

Arthur had stopped in the snack shop for some tea and a rest from school shopping. Molly was so busy drooling over that Lockheart idiot that she'd never notice he was gone. Actually, after that unpleasantness with Malfoy, he longed for something stronger than tea, but proprieties must be maintained.

As soon as he stepped into the shop he saw the bright head of Nymphadora Tonks, from work. "Nymphy", he called her in his own mind, never to anybody else. She was cute as a button, and had enough energy for five witches. It never failed to put a smile on his face when he saw her. Here she was, so cute and funny in her casual clothes. Actually, she looked like she had rolled out of bed like that, but it was just part of her charm. He put his arm out and tapped her on the shoulder.

Tonks whirled around and tried her best to look surprised. "Mr. Weasly, how are you?"

"Just fine, Miss Tonks. Fancy running into you here."

On impulse, Tonks reached out and grabbed his arm. "Don't wait back there, come up with me." She pulled him behind her, with an apologetic shrug at the wizards who were between them. Suddenly, abashed at her own boldness, she turned back to the counter so he couldn't see her blush and pretended to study the menu. Arthur fought to look casual, and to hide the goofy grin that was threatening to spread across his face.

Tonks ordered her tea, and then got flustered all over again when Arthur stepped forward and placed money on the counter. "Allow me," he said, as he paid for both their drinks. Then they pushed through the crowd and found a little table towards the back to sit down.

"How's work going, Miss Tonks?"

Tonks smiled brightly at him. "I love it. Auror work is so exciting. You wouldn't believe some of the things I've seen so far..." She was leaning forward in her seat, hands moving in animated gestures as she described some of the cases she had worked on. He sat back to watch the changing expressions of her face. She was just so cute. Arthur loved his work, but he wondered wearily if he had ever been this young and enthusiastic.

Tonks, on the other hand, chattered happily about work, wondering if she was boring him, knowing she was talking too much and too fast. However, she was on an adrenaline rush and didn't think she could stop. _I'm such an idiot_, she thought. _He's bored silly. He's just sitting there, looking at me with a polite smile on his face. If only I had something really interesting to talk to him about. _Suddenly she stopped, leaned forward and blurted out, "Did you hear how they are going to assign some Aurors to monitor the former Death Eaters since Voldemort was seen at Hogwarts last spring?" Then she sat back suddenly and clapped her hand over her mouth, aghast at herself.

Arthur had jumped when she said Voldemort's name, but he recovered quickly and spoke to her, quietly and seriously, "Miss Tonks, you really must be more careful talking about work. We could be overheard, and you could get yourself and others into trouble or danger."

Tonks paled and started to stammer an apology.

"Okay, Miss Tonks, don't worry about it. I certainly won't report you, and it was obviously a young person's mistake. But please," he said, as he got up to leave," Be more discreet in the future. Good day."

Arthur felt badly as he left the snack shop. She was so young and inexperienced. He was right, however. She really could put herself and others into danger if she spoke too loosely.


	4. Read and find out

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling. I made up Hermione's parent's first names because I couldn't find any reference to their actual names. If anyone knows them, let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes.

Severus Snape climbed the steps to the Headmaster's office. This was his last task before he could call it a day. At the door, he mumbled the password and the door creaked open. Snape stepped inside, and raised his eyebrows at what he saw.

There, perched on the headmaster's desk was none other than Narcissa Malfoy, in a midnight blue gown, with her legs crossed to reveal one leg and the highest heeled shoes he had ever seen. Her hair was down around her shoulders in waves, and her eyes were lowered to the desk, where she was reaching for one of two glasses of wine. "Albus," she purred, and lifted the glass and turned to look towards the door. She paused when she saw Snape, but maintained her dignity.

"You are not Albus."

"Your razor-sharp mind never fails to amaze me, Narcissa," Snape said with a malicious smile, "Or should I say Mrs. Malfoy?"

"It so happens that I have an appointment with the Headmaster."

"So it would seem. I know what concerned parents you and Lucius are."

"Whatever business you have here, do it quickly and then you can go," Narcissa said loftily.

"May I remind you, that I work here. And may I also remind you, madam, that you are a married woman?"

Narcissa put the drink down and stood up. "You can leave now, Severus."

"Not until I'm finished. Not only are you a married woman, but you know very well what your husband thinks about Dumbledore. Just what are you trying to pull this time, Narcissa?"

"As if I have to answer to you."

"Have it your way, then, " Snape said quietly. "But if I were you, I'd watch my back from now on."

Narcissa gasped, then rushed at him, brandishing her wand. But Snape was quicker. He grabbed her wrist and snatched the wand out of her hand easily.

"I wouldn't suggest doing that, either. Don't go making enemies. You never know when you might need someone's help someday," he said, putting the parchment he was carrying down on the desk. He handed the wand back to her with an amused look, then headed towards the door.

"Severus Snape, I would never ask you for anything if you were the last wizard on earth!"

Meanwhile, back at the Grangers'…..

Karen and Steve drove back home in companiable silence. Hermione was in the back seat, chattering happily about the upcoming school year. Her parents were happy to let her control the conversation, so they wouldn't have to talk to each other.

That night, they were sitting in bed, watching TV. Neither of them were really paying attention to the story. They were each lost in their own thoughts.

Steve thought about Molly, then he thought about Karen. He knew Karen was feeling restless. She had always had that restless nature. She was someone who needed something to do all the time. She had worked full time until she became pregnant with Hermione, then suspended her practice until Hermione was in school. Then she worked part-time, only taking patients during Hermione's school days and hours. Even after Hogwarts started, however, Karen still kept her scaled-back office hours. Steve knew all this inactivity was bad for her, yet he didn't know what to say. They weren't hurting for money, she didn't need to work to pay the bills. But, he didn't know a diplomatic way of getting Karen to find something constructive to do.

"Just a few more days 'til school starts," he said.

She smiled at him sadly, "Yeah, I know."

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just going to miss her when she's gone, you know?"

Karen turned back to look at the television. She knew Steve was worried about her. But, he just didn't get that she wanted more. His idea of a good time was a quiet evening at home. She craved some excitement, not this relentless ordinary day-to-day existence. Not only did she miss her daughter, she envied her a little too. And yet, she knew she was lucky to have Steve. She snuggled closer to him, then fell asleep. She wasn't even aware when he turned off the TV around 1:00.


	5. An old storyline and a new storyline

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling. I made up Hermione's parent's first names because I couldn't find any reference to their actual names. If anyone knows them, let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes.

Madam Rosmerta, "Ro" as her closest friends called her, wiped a damp rag along the length of the bar, watching one customer as she worked. She took pride in her establishment. It had been left to her by her late husband, who had died after they were married only three years. She mourned him sincerely and was also grateful for his foresight, for this was her only means of support. She did not allow brawls or sloppy drunks, and the authorities were rarely called to her pub.

The pub was nearly empty, only herself and her solitary patron were left. It was getting late, and he sat there, brooding. Ro knew he would continue to brood that way, getting more and more morose. She worked her way up the length of the bar, placed her hand over his and murmured, "Don't leave, yet."

After putting the "closed" sign on the door, she extinguished all the lights except the one where the man was sitting, then she dragged a stool behind the bar, poured one drink for herself, (she had never seen him intoxicated in all the years she had known him) and sat across from him.

"Severus, what is it?"

He looked at her, then in low, clipped tones, poured out the story of Narcissa in Dumbledore's office. Ro sat quietly and listened, something she had become proficient at in her years tending bar. Patrons didn't want to hear your opinion until they had poured their hearts out. She kept her face carefully blank, but every word caused her pain.

"Is that disgusting or what?" He was saying.

Ro smiled briefly. "What part do you find disgusting?"

"All of it! Weren't you listening to any of it?"

"Severus, forgive me for saying it, but for whom are you angry? Yes, I admit it is shocking, but really, it's Lucius' and Narcissa's problem to work out. Dumbledore is certainly old enough to make his own choices." She walked around the bar and perched on the stool next to him. Severus was still brooding into his cup. She took his hand in both of hers. "Look at me," she said; then, as he continued to stare, "No. Look at me." He turned his head, and her troubled, compassionate eyes stared into his. "Severus, the real problem is that you're still in love with her."

"You're the only person in the world who would get away with making that statement, Ro."

Ro shrugged. "I gotta lock up now. You gonna be all right to get home?"

"Naturally." He stood up to leave and she followed him to the door. He turned and lightly touched her face.

"Ro...?"

She smiled at him as she said firmly, "Good night, Severus."

He walked out and she closed and locked the door behind him. She extinguished the remaining light, then trudged up the stairs to her rooms. She sat down on her favorite chair, and passed a hand over her eyes. One of these days, one of her patrons would drive her over the edge. The more time that went on, the harder it was to listen to Severus. Not that he confided in her often, but her unrequited love made his confidences harder to hear than anyone else's. Ro had never been clear about his relationship with Lucius beyond that they knew each other in the Death Eater days. But Narcissa. That was abundantly clear to Ro. Some people had thought he carried a torch for dead Lily Potter. As if.

As for herself, she couldn't have said when she started loving Severus. It just creeped up on her slowly until she realized that if he never walked through her door again, she would live with the pain of longing forever. Their relationship had always been a little strange. He confided in her, she listened. On occasion he would make overtures as if he wanted something more, but she always brushed off his advances. She was in love, but she was also proud, and was not about to be the consolation prize for his losing Narcissa. So she told herself. But as time went on, it was getting harder and harder to maintain that stance.

Meanwhile, back at Kings Cross Station...

Karen woke up in a good mood the morning they had to take Hermione to King's Cross to meet the train to school. The odd, restless mood she had been in for the past several days seemed to have passed and she was determined to give her full attention to her husband and daughter.

The platform was crowded, and they walked towards gate 9 3/4, which Karen knew wasn't a normal gate at all. When she had seen Hermione through last year, she cringed at the thought of her daughter running through a solid brick wall. It still gave Karen the willies, even though she knew Hermione would be fine.

As they jostled about, making their way towards the pillar, Karen caught a glimpse of that blond wizard she had talked to in the alley, and her heart gave a queer little jump. She drew in closer to Steve and ignored the wizard's general direction until they met up with the Weasley's. Karen glanced around and saw him again. She was sure he knew she was there. He looked in her direction once, then turned away. He was with his wife, a washed-out looking little thing, Karen thought uncharitably, and a boy around Hermione's age.

Karen tapped Molly, who was in some sort of conversation with Steve, on the shoulder, then drew her aside.

"Molly, don't look around, but who is the blond wizard with the blond son and the wife?"

"You mean you don't know? That is the Malfoy family."

Karen just looked at her, so Molly explained. "They're very rich and well-known in our world. Lucius works at the Ministry of Magic, same as Arthur, although I think he works there to gain ties and connections and influence, for he certainly doesn't need to work for a living. Furthermore, the whole family is very snobbish," Molly sniffed.

Karen nodded sympathetically to Molly. Obviously, there was some bad blood between the two families. Oh well, Karen was not about to get in the middle of some wizard drama. She leaned down to say something to Hermione and glanced back at Lucius. He was looking at her while the little woman was looking elsewhere.

The routine for getting to the Hogwarts Express was simple. Wait until no muggles were looking, then speed towards the pillar as fast as you can. Karen and Steve, of course, were excepted from the "no muggles" rule. They helped keep watch as the Weasley children passed through, then stepped back to allow Hermione to have a turn. Once again, Karen flinched at the last minute and closed her eyes. The Granger and Weasley parents turned to head back towards the parking lot, and Karen saw that once more, Lucius was looking at her. She turned away with a little smile.


	6. At school and the mall

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling. I made up Hermione's parent's first names because I couldn't find any reference to their actual names. If anyone knows them, let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes.

Snape had not seen Albus Dumbledore since before his encounter with Narcissa in the office. The students had arrived late this afternoon, but Severus had avoided Dumbledore by hunting down Harry and Ron, who had arrived rather conspicuously in an enchanted car. It was a fortunate blunder for Snape, who could use his disciplinary duties as an excuse not to eat dinner in the Great Hall. By the time Dumbledore arrived in his dungeon with McGonagall, Snape was so angry about Harry and Ron he had forgotten the whole incident with Narcissa. At least, for a little while.

Over the next several days Snape was forced to interact with Dumbledore, and he found it hard to be civil. Not that anyone noticed, for Snape already had a well-established reputation for being miserable. Sometimes he reminded himself that he couldn't be certain that Dumbledore had accepted what Narcissa offered. Then his anger would fade a little, and he would forget momentarily. Other times something would remind him of the whole sordid incident and he would be filled with rage again.

To compound things, Dumbledore had hired that idiot Gilderoy Lockheart to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts. That set all those silly co-eds into fits of giggles which were particularly irritating to Snape's nerves. Even Ro had smiled dreamily when Snape told her. She probably hoped to meet him someday. Well, she would have to accomplish that on her own. Snape had no intention of bringing Lockheart to meet her.

MEANWHILE, AT THE MALL…

Karen Granger's 1:30 appointment canceled, and because that had been her last appointment of the day, she had an unexpected afternoon off. She dismissed her hygeinist with pay, grabbed her purse and headed out to the mall.

She was wandering past the candle store when she saw him out of the corner of her eye. Same as at the train station, he was keeping his distance, but Karen was certain that the only business he had was her. She decided to test him by slipping into a Victoria's Secret, where she hid for 10 minutes. When she came out again, she found a bench to sit down on. Reaching into one of her bags, she pulled out a novel and opened it up to read.

Amost on cue, she felt the boards shift slightly under her, and when she looked over, he was sitting on the opposite end, carefully not looking at her. She noticed that he was dressed, not precicely like a muggle, but close enough to it that he would not attract notice. He had ditched the whole black-robe-and-walking-stick look he'd worn in Diagon Alley, and she supposed, his normal wizard life. The Weasleys had done a similar thing, she remembered. They toned down their clothes when they were among muggles.

"Well, well, if it isn't our friendly neighborhood stalker," she said.

"What?" He looked puzzled.

"Never mind. I see you're enjoying our humble mall. Have you found everything you wanted? Were you looking for some new kitchenware or maybe a cordless drill?"

"You weary me with your constant stream of sarcasm."

She grinned at him. It was fun to get a rise out of him. "No, I don't. But, you're not the mall type, admit it."

"Mrs. Granger..."

"Mr. Malfoy?"

"You know my name now?"

Karen turned away. She had forgotten that the first time they met, she didn't know. Now he knew she must have asked around. Great. All he needed was a bigger head than he already had. She had to admit, though it was pretty funny.

"You know mine, and by the way, it's 'Doctor', not 'Missus' " she said childishly.

"Of course i known your name," Lucius said as if Karen hadn't spoken. " Your daughter looks like you, and you stand out in my world."

"Touche. Well, I'll return the comment. Your son looks like you, which must be a relief. To you and to the wife."

Now Lucius was shocked at that obnoxious comment. If anyone else had ever said such a thing to him, the situation would have quickly degenerated into bloodshed. However, part of him liked her sarcastic demeanor. She was a real pain, but he found himself wanting to hear the next thing that would come out of her mouth.

"Well, aren't you the smart one." He said. "I seem to remember you said I wouldn't survive 15 minutes in your world without magic. Well, here I am, and I've been here more than 15 minutes."

"No, that doesn't count. Anyone can walk around the mall--that doesn't take any special talent. Let me think." She paused and closed her book, putting it in the bag. "I know, grocery shopping. I'll give you a list and you have to get all the items on the list without magic. I'll come with you to bail you out if you get into trouble."

"Grocery shopping?"

"Come on, let's go." She stood up and started walking away. For a moment he was tempted not to follow her, but he felt like he needed to know what would happen next. He caught her up easily, and they walked toward the mall exit together.

Karen noticed that Lucius stared at one of the stores. She laughed. "Whatever you do, don't take that shop as representative of us poor muggles. My friends and I call it the shabby-shop. There's a real interesting story about it. My girlfriend's husband, who's a real estate agent, says that the owner is anonymous, pays in cash every month--three times what anybody else pays in this building--and never opens it for business. Just keeps that ugly display in the window. This is one of the inside entrances, but the outside entrance looks even worse. Isn't that odd? At least the other department stores in this mall don't have to worry about the competition."

Lucius shrugged briefly. If she didn't recognize the entrance to St. Mungo's, he was not going to enlighten her.


	7. Molly and Arthur

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling. I made up Hermione's parent's first names because I couldn't find any reference to their actual names. If anyone knows them, let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes.

Molly sat at her kitchen table at The Burrow, with a cup of tea in one hand, a pen in the other, and a scrap of parchment in front of her. She was trying to plan a decent meal for when the Grangers came for dinner this Saturday night.

"After all, Arthur," Molly had reasoned. "Their Hermione is good friends with Ron, and it seems like the only polite thing to do--to make them feel welcome, since their daughter is moving into a way of life which is unfamiliar to them."

Arthur didn't need his arm twisted. He was only too happy to have the chance to observe actual muggles up close, instead of just their artifacts. The next best thing would be to observe muggles in their natural setting, but that would have to wait. If this dinner went well, perhaps the Weasleys would be invited to the Grangers'.

The invitation had been sent, and graciously accepted (although Steve got a nasty scratch from the owl during his clumsy attempts to untie and tie messages to its leg). Molly had been in a furor of cleaning for a couple days. When she was satisfied that the house was in apple-pie order, she started attacking the menu. Pot roast, green beans, potatoes, pumpkin juice...Molly tapped her pen against the parchment when the door creaked open and in walked Arthur looking guilty.

Molly was used to Arthur breaking the rules regarding muggles, and she supposed he had recieved a talking-to from his long suffering boss. Whatever it was, she thought, it could wait. She smiled at him and waved the pen and parchment at him.

"Hello, dear," she said. "Just writing up the menu here for this weekend."

Arthur came over and kissed her on top of her head before sitting down. He cracked his knuckles nervously and grinned at her sheepishly.

"Oh, Arthur, what is it this time?" Molly said, kindly.

Arthur frowned. "Did you know that Ron and Harry never made the Hogwarts Express?"

"What are you talking about, we saw them off."

"Something went wrong. They didn't get on the Express. They--" he lowered his voice almost to a whisper. "They took the Anglia."

Molly's jaw dropped and her eyes widened with horror. "But--but--they can't drive--they can't do magic outside school--they could have--been killed--or..." she stammered. When the car had gone missing, she had figured that some thief stole it. That would have been bad enough, especially if the thief figured out how it had been tampered with. However, Arthur was always in and out of scrapes. She had washed her hands of the whole thing. Besides, she had a house to clean. But this--this was worse. Dangerous and reckless behavior by her youngest son had put himself and his best friend in danger.

Arthur sighed and handed Dumbledore's letter of explanation over to Molly, who devoured it, shaking her head and getting angrier by the minute. "Why--" she started, but Arthur put up his hand and sighed again.

"There's more, dear," he said.

"I should think this is enough."

"I have to face an inquiry at work."

Molly stared at him a long while. "You mean your boss wants to talk to you."

"A full inquiry, I'm afraid."

"Oh, Arthur," Molly stood up and walked over to the kitchen window, where she could stare out into her garden. An inquiry could lead to legal problems, and getting sacked, and financial problems. They didn't need any financial problems. It was hard enough to make ends meet now. She stood staring over her backyard, then came to a decision.

"I'm going to write to Ron. He needs to understand that what he did was wrong."

"Okay, Molly, but go easy on him. He's been punished enough."

Molly looked at him incredulously. "Go easy on him? Arthur, I'm going to send a howler."

Arthur looked like he was going to object until Molly turned on him suddenly. "A howler is letting him off easy! Too bad if he's embarrassed in front of his friends. He could have been killed! He could have killed Harry! " She stood directly across from him at the table. "You could get sacked. Frankly, this deserves more than a howler. "

Arthur knew he better not interfere. A howler was sent.


	8. Narcissa's Greed

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling. I made up Hermione's parent's first names because I couldn't find any reference to their actual names. If anyone knows them, let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes.

Once upon a time, there were two young people who were crazy in love and got married. Married life agreed with them both for many years, and they were both satisfied. The rules of their marriage were simple. Lucius provided for the family, and handled the family's public affairs. Narcissa's job was to make their home comfortable and worthy of envy among Lucius' associates.

Now, Lucius had never been forthcoming with his political dealings, but Narcissa couldn't care less. Politics bored her and she liked managing her home. As long as Lucius provided enough that she could amuse herself and spoil Draco, she didn't really want for anything else.

However, things started to change a few months ago when she started noticing that something was different. Little things, really, things that could be overlooked or explained away. Strange men she had never seen before visiting Lucius at all hours of the night, snippets of information she happened to overhear, and the way sometimes conversations would abruptly cease when she walked into the room. Although she was not politically astute, Narcissa had gathered this much; Voldemort was staging a comeback.

Voldemort. She hadn't thought much about him for many years. She had known that Lucius supported some of Voldemort's views and that most of his friends did too. Then there was the talk about him being a Death Eater. Narcissa was never 100 sure that it was true, but she wouldn't have put it past him--the fact was she didn't really care either way. Furthermore, at the time of Voldemort's disappearance, Narcissa was very wrapped up in taking care of Baby Draco and as long as they were comfortable and well fed, the rest of the world could fall to pieces, for all she cared.

Narcissa Malfoy was back at Hogwarts, sitting on the stone bench, waiting for her appointment with Dumbledore. Again, she was careful to dress the part; only she had changed the part she was going to play.

Although she had been furious that her plan had been thwarted earlier, when she calmed down and had time to reflect, she decided that it had actually been good luck in disguise. She had been too aggressive. She would not make the same mistake twice.

After all, she reminded herself, she was rather new at the game of intrigue.

She had learned some things since the early days of her marriage. She had learned how close Lucius had come to being sentenced to Azkaban, although he had tried to hide it from her. Lucius had never like muggles and mudbloods, and in Narcissa's opinion, he was acting like a fool, parading his views so publicly. After all, she was no lover of the lesser beings, but at the same time it didn't have to affect their lives. Narcissa wouldn't hurt or kill somebody with muggle blood, but she didn't have to be his or her best friend, either. After all, she was Narcissa Malfoy nee Black, and she didn't have to prove anything to anybody.

But there was definitely a shift in the political climate these days. Lucius might be a fool, but he wasn't the only fool in town. She strongly suspected that if Voldemort came back Lucius might revert to Death Eater ways. Therein was Narcissa's concern. As powerful as Voldemort was, a baby had already defeated him once. Granted, nobody had seen that coming, but if he was defeated once, he could be defeated again. That Potter brat was still alive, after all. And, it didn't even have to be Potter. Lots of things could cause his defeat, at least theoretically. And if Lucius insisted on showing himself too strongly in favor of one side, and that side lost, they all stood to lose everything.

It looked to Narcissa that the way for them to stave off disaster was power. Power and influence. If Lucius insisted on being on Voldemort's side, then she, Narcissa, would show herself to be more moderate. She would gather friends and allies who could come to her aid if necessary. So, she reasoned, no matter what happened, they would come out on top. Her first stop on this mission was Hogwarts.

The door to Dumbledore's office creaked open and Narcissa stood up. She was dressed in a prim, maidenly gown of midnight blue with silver trim, her hair pulled back from her face and falling down her back, and a loyal house-elf in attendance. She looked and felt like royalty.

"How do you do, Mrs. Malfoy? Please, have a seat," Dumbledore said, shaking her hand.

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore, " Narcissa replied, seating herself.

"What brings you to Hogwarts? Lemon sherbet?" He asked, pushing the bowl across the desk to her.

She shook her head. She remembered from her student days the exotic taste in candy the Headmaster had and didn't care to risk life and limb. "I really thought I should call on you personally to express my appreciation for what a good experience Hogwarts has been for Draco."

"Why, thank you, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Absolutely. Lucius and I would never dream of sending Draco anywhere else, although he could go anywhere, you know."

Dumbledore nodded.

"However," Narcissa continued," I'm afraid some distressing rumors have reached our ears. Is it true that You-Know-Who has come back?"

Dumbledore looked at her narrowly. "Lucius works for the Ministry of Magic. He is in a better position to tell you than I am, stuck out here in the wilderness, as it were."

"Oh, Lucius tries very hard to keep me from hearing anything distressing, you know."

Dumbledore folded his hands on the desk and leaned forward. "Nevertheless, the Ministry gathers all the reports which are made, and frequently open their files to the wizarding public." He leaned back in his chair. "But let me hasten to assure you that the castle is heavily guarded by charms and enchantments against Dark Magic."

Narcissa was angry at being evaded, but she hid it as she lowered her eyes and waved a hand in the air. "Oh, well, you know how it is with the wizards in our class, they try to protect the witches as best as they can. The "Moneyed Classes" as muggles would say." Then she tried a different tack. "You must certainly admit, however, we live in interesting times. It almost seems as if one could not guess what the next big news will be...But isn't it interesting how a particular group can be on the bottom rung one day and on the top rung the next? I guess we all need friends we can turn to when the going gets difficult." Then she laughed. "I've taken up too much of your time. I'll leave now."

She stood up to leave, and he stood up to see her to the door. When they were standing at the door, she put a hand on his arm and leaned in closer towards him, looking up at him with her large, determined eyes.

"The Malfoys have a lot of money, you know, and we don't forget our friends. Maybe we could come to some understanding." She said, meaningfully.

Dumbledore stepped back, nonchalantly but looked at her sternly. "Help will be given to anybody who asks, as long as they have justice on their side. Regardless of money or status. Give my regards to Lucius. My next appointment is waiting for me." Then he turned away to walk back to his desk.

Narcissa hid her anger until she was far away from Hogwarts. She would make him pay, someday, for making her dance through hoops. Because that was how Narcissa saw Dumbledore's response.

Dumbledore, on the other hand was deeply saddened by the visit. He had known her as a student and was concerned about the welfare of all his students, even after they graduated. For all her pretended casualness, he could see she was driven by something. He worried about where this newfound drive would lead her. But he had helped her all he could and was not about to lower himself to such bargain making as Narcissa had in mind. All he could do now is hope for the best, and hope Lucius didn't find out about the hijinks his wife was up to.


	9. At the Ministry and the supermarket

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling. I made up Hermione's parent's first names because I couldn't find any reference to their actual names. If anyone knows them, let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes.

Tonks had been out of the office on a case all morning and by the time she got back she was famished. Stopping by her desk only long enough to hang up her jacket, she trotted towards the lunchroom, hoping to get there before they closed.

She lucked out, however, grabbed a tray and started filling it with food. After she paid she looked around for a place to sit, and got lucky a second time. Her two best girlfriends in the Ministry were still in the middle of their break. Tonks was glad. She hated eating alone.

It seems to be human nature to enjoy being the bearer of news, even when it's bad. Accordingly, one of the young women turned to Tonks as soon as she had started cutting her meat and said,"Did you year the news about the Inquiry?"

Tonks, chewing a mouthful of food could only shake her head.

"Somebody in another department--you may not know him--Arthur Weasley."

Tonks started and choked. Quickly she swallowed some of her coffee, hoping it wouldn't all come out of her nose.

"I know who that is. He's nice. Why would they Inquire after him?" She asked, trying not to look unduly concerned.

"It seems he got ahold of a muggle car and enchanted it, then one of his kids flew it without cloaking it first. I'm surprised you didn't hear the story. It's been in all the muggle newspapers. Only a lot of muggles are insisting that it's all a hoax. Let's hope they keep believing it's a hoax."

Tonks sat mulling over this news. She had avoided Arthur ever since the day in Diagon Alley when she blabbed about You Know Who. She knew his routine and simply made it a point to be wherever he was not. It was unbelievable that he was now in trouble. After all, the office grapevine had told her that Arthur liked to collect muggle artifacts. He was one of those fortunate people who had found a job he truly enjoyed. She hated to think he could lose it all.

"Is an Inquiry really necessary, do you think?" Asked Tonks. "Couldn't they just wait and let this all blow over? It's not like this is the first time muggles got to see something they shouldn't have."

"The Ministry's cracking down, you know that Tonks. You should know better than almost anybody. With all the rumors flying, and everything. It sounds like the Ministry may have enough on it's hands in the near future, with," the woman lowered her voice to a whisper, "You Know Who, without having to worry about its own people making stupid blunders."

Tonks bristled a little at hearing Arthur called "stupid".

"But there's another reason," the woman continued in the same whispery voice. "Lucius Malfoy."

Tonks' uncle. What did he have to do with all this?

"It would seem, Malfoy is pushing very hard for this Inquiry. Some of the senior officials were willing to let this slide with no more than a verbal reprimand. But Malfoy..." the woman crossed her eyes comically when she said his name.

Now Tonks remembered. There had always been some tension between the two families. However, it seemed pretty extreme for Uncle Lucius to try to do Arthur out of his job.

MEANWHILE, IN THE GRANGERS' KITCHEN

Karen washed the dishes, unable to stop grinning over the memory of the great wizard Lucius Malfoy braving the fierce jungle of the local supermarket.

Karen hadn't really expected to see Lucius again--hadn't really thought he'd come looking for her. She actually did have a few items she needed to pick up at the store and had been planning to buy them before she headed home. So, she just blurted out the idea off the top of her head.

The fact was, the entire trip was a disaster. First, the shopping carts stuck together and had to be untangled. Next, they had to wait behind a woman with three screaming kids at the deli counter who ran around the other customers' shopping carts. Then he couldn't see the difference between pudding cups and pudding packets. And never mind trying to budget with muggle money.

Lucius also complained bitterly; the lights were too garish, the piped-in music was horrendous, and people didn't get out of his way when he walked down the aisle.

Karen laughed out loud when he said that.

"I don't see what's so funny," he had said.

"What's funny, is that you are as anonymous in my world as I am in yours. But if the strain is getting to you..."

"Never mind," he said testily before he muttered something about "house elves to do menial work."

Karen stopped laughing and looked at him interestedly. "House elf? What's a house elf?"

But Lucius was angry over her laughing at him and decided to punish her by not telling her. Karen only shrugged. She would just ask Molly on Saturday.

They took too long getting through the checkout line because of the unfamiliar money, and Karen smiled placatingly to the impatient people behind her as Lucius handled the cash. Outside of the store he handed the money back to her scornfully and declared that he had survived in her world.

She grinned at him and said, "Barely. If I hadn't been there, you would have lost your temper and put a spell on people. I know you wanted to do something to those three noisy kids. But you see, it's not that simple, surviving without hocus-pocus. We muggles can't always take the easy way out of our problems."

"Thank you for the object lesson, Dr. Granger. I have to go back to work, now." And with that he left.

But now she was back home and she was tired. Part of her had wanted to tell Steve the whole funny story. But something held her back. After all, she argued with herself, she hadn't really done anything wrong. And yet something had happened. They had been walking in the breakfast cereal aisle when Karen spotted the mother of one of Hermione's classmates from her old school coming around the corner. Karen had casually stepped away from Lucius and pretended to be deciding between bran and flakes. She greeted the woman briefly and waited until she was completely out of the aisle before catching up with Lucius again. Karen told herself that she just wasn't up to explanations, but that wasn't entirely true. She kept telling herself that nothing wrong had happened, but somehow she just couldn't rest easy.


	10. Guess who's coming to dinner

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling. I made up Hermione's parent's first names because I couldn't find any reference to their actual names. If anyone knows them, let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes.

Over the next several days, Tonks kept her eyes and ears open for any news of Arthur's inquiry. Her friendly, breezy personality had won her friends and aquaintances in many different departments, and she could go to different people for information without drawing too much attention to herself to any particular person.

The news wasn't good. Lucius was acting as if he had a personal vendetta against Arthur. He and Arthur had never like each other, but Lucius' reaction seemed rather overblown to her. The investigators were searching Arthur's office and digging into his personal life (luckily, his wife and children had no skeletons in their closets). Furthermore, they were checking into his working history and dragging out every incident where Arthur had stepped outside the bounds of Ministry procedure. Unfortunately, there were many such incidents. None of them by themself were of any great importance, but looked at together, it seemed to add up to a track record of insubordination and unecessary recklessness where magical-muggle boundaries were concerned.

Arthur for his part, continued to do his job despite the interuptions. He just pretended that nothing was going on and that everything was fine. He showed up to work on time, completed his assignments and went home at night. To look at him outwardly, one would never guess the strain he was under. Nobody but Tonks.

She saw him several times, in the hallways, in the lunchroom. She stopped avoiding him and would smile and nod as she passed. He was as pleasant as ever to her.

Tonks was sitting in the lunchroom again on Friday. She had been out on a case again that morning and got back in time to eat. However, she almost lost her appetite when her girlfriend told her the news. Arthur's formal Inquiry was set for Monday.

LATER AT THE WEASLEY'S

Molly and Arthur agreed that they would not mention Arthur's Inquiry or the enchanted car, or anything else unpleasant when the Grangers came to visit. After all, the two couples didn't know each other very well and you could just never predict how muggles would react to things.

The Grangers arrived promptly and brought the wine and were given a tour of the house. Karen was amazed.

"Molly, your house is wonderful!" Karen said with unfeigned admiration. The women were alone in the house while Arthur showed Steve the grounds

In Molly's eyes, The Burrow was home, but it was nothing special. She chuckled deprecatingly.

"It really has flair," Karen continued. "Our house is nice. But it's just a house like all the others on the street."

"You're just not used to wizard houses," Molly replied. However she couldn't help feeling a glow of pride from Karen's praise. Despite Karen's remarks about the ordinaryness of the Granger's home, Molly was curious to see it.

Just before dinner was ready, Steve and Karen told the story of how they recieved the Weasley's invitation.

"We're so used to Hermione's owl, you see." Karen said. "It's the only owl we've ever used for communication, so we're used to its quirks. So when your owl arrived, Steve volunteered to remove the message."

"Let's just say, I'm not used to its habits," Steve said, smiling.

"Well, to make a long story short, the owl was flapping around the kitchen, Steve was trying to untie the knot, and I'm thinking that the neighbors have heard all the ruckus by now and have called the police--or animal control."

Arthur was enjoying the story, but Molly was horrified and started to say something, but Steve waved off her objections.

"It was okay, Molly, really." Steve hastened to assure her. "We laughed over it for the longest. Actually, Karen didn't tell you, but through most of this episode, Karen was sitting on the floor, holding her stomach and laughing her head off."

Molly had spied the bandage on Steve's hand. "Did it bite you?" She asked.

Karen and Steve glanced at each other. They weren't going to mention the bite. After all, they didn't know the Weasleys very well, and they didn't know how wizards would react to things. Besides, it had been fine. They bandaged it and Karen had given him a tetanus shot and they really did had a good laugh over the whole incident.

"Why no," Steve began. "I got this..."

"I think you're lying," Molly said with a faint smile.

"Not to worry, Steve," said Arthur. "Magical owls are very clean creatures and don't carry disease. Molly, why don't you take a look at it and give the Grangers some of the potion you use for owl-bite."

As Molly headed towards the kitchen with Steve trailing behind her, Karen tried to smooth over the situation.

"Really, it was funny and Steve is fine. After all, it's not as if we've never had a bite or scratch before."

"I know, Karen, but you have to understand Molly--she worries about everything. And anyhow," Arthur said nonchalantly, hoping to show off some of his knowledge of muggle medicine, "Steve won't need a tettis shot."

Karen managed to keep a straight face. She thought Arthur was all right.

In the kitchen, Molly silently took Steve's hand and carefully removed the bandage. There was a red welt where the owl had bitten him, but it wasn't bleeding or oozing. She ran one finger over the welt slowly and reached for the potion. She dabbed a little onto the wound and rubbed it into the area before she replaced the bandage. Steve didn't say a word the whole time. She looked up at him. He was staring at her intensely, and she dropped her eyes.

"Keep this." She said, handing him the half-empty bottle and letting go of his hand. "We have plenty."

"Now that I'm so adept at magical communication," Steve said softly, "I'll have to teach you how to use the telephone. Someday."

Molly looked up at him again. He was smiling at her.


	11. Monday, Monday

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling. I made up Hermione's parent's first names because I couldn't find any reference to their actual names. If anyone knows them, let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes.

Tonks had had the weekend off, and she had thought about the Arthur situation during most of it. She had gone partying with her friends, and lounged around the apartment and even visited her mother, but the Inquiry had been in the back of her mind the whole time. Sunday afternoon she hatched a brilliant plan, which she would execute on Monday.

That particular Monday was supposed to be for in-office business. She would catch up on her paperwork and attend meetings. At least, that was what was on her agenda. But Tonks had an agenda of her own.

She woke up early, changed her hair from key-lime to a brilliant yellow, which was supposed to pass for normal blond, and put on her best business outfit. The type of clothing upper management wore. She arrived at work early, did her most pressing paperwork and found out from the secretary that the Inquiry was scheduled for 10:30. At a quarter after 10, she screwed up her courage, put on her best professional manner and walked to the room where the Inquiry would take place.

She had reasoned that it was easier to get forgiveness than permission, and walked into the room as though she belonged there. To her surprise, nobody challenged her. She proceeded to a back corner where she would be as inconspicuous as a person with neon-yellow hair could possibly be.

She watched as Arthur and Uncle Lucius and the investigators and the other suits filed in. Arthur was invited to sit down facing the committee. Then the questions started to fly.

"Did you obtain a muggle car?"

"Yes."

"Did you enchant it so it would fly?"

"Yes."

"Was the car seen flying by muggles?"

"Yes."

The questioning went on like this for quite some time. Just as Tonks had feared, the questioning was intended to make Arthur look bad. Once, Arthur happened to look over and see Tonks. She gave him a smile and a thumbs-up. He didn't react, but he looked at her long enough for her to know that he had seen her before turning his attention back to the committee.

At last, Arthur was given permission to explain his actions. He stood up and cleared his throat. "Everybody knows I have an especial interest in muggle artifacts. Not only is it my job, but it's also a hobby of mine. I won't try to defend my actions, with all the weight of evidence against me, but I hope I can explain a little. Many of us live side-by-side with muggles, and we exercise discretion to hide our abilities from them. I have seen from years of observation that most muggles are decent people. Just like most wizards are decent people. Not all, of course," Here he flicked his eyes over the crowd, pausing for the briefest instant at Lucius. "What I want to say was that I wanted to study muggle ways up close. I never intended for the car to be flown by underage wizards, or to be seen by muggles. I admit to an error in judgment. That is all. I would never willingly jeopardize our way of life. Furthermore, I would like to point out that we aren't entirely hidden from muggles even now. Many of them know about us already. Muggles have children who go to Hogwarts, or sometimes they marry into our families. I will abide by the decision of the committee, of course, but enchanting a car is not the worst thing that any wizard has ever done. Thank you."

"That was quite an enlightening speech, Mr. Weasley," Lucius said, sarcastically. "We will be sure to take it into account when we render our decision. We will meet again tomorrow, 10:30."

By this time tomorrow Arthur might be out of a job. As she watched everybody file out, Tonks hatched another brilliant plan.

LATER AT DIAGON ALLEY…

Even though it had been only a few days since they had seen each other, Molly and Karen were meeting for lunch. Hermione had owled Karen that there were a few more things she needed for school, and could Karen send them to her? Molly had been kind enough to meet Karen at Diagon Alley because Karen did not want to be in the wizarding world as a lone muggle among wizard strangers.

As they were eating lunch, Molly mentioned that Karen seemed a little down.

"It's nothing major, really," Karen insisted. "It's just Hermione's owl--you know what she told me? She got her period. First time." She shrugged. "I just always thought I would be there for her when it happened, you know?"

"No, I'm afraid I don't know, not yet, anyway. But give Hermione my congratulations in either case." Molly looked at Karen sympathetically. "But look at it this way. Hermione will be able to advise Ginny when her time comes. I told you she was Sorted into Gryffindor, didn't I?"

Later, as they were going through Hermione's list, Karen heard Molly sniff, then mutter, "Must be nice to be able to leave work anytime during the day."

Karen swung her head around to see Lucius Malfoy in the next aisle. She had to agree, Molly had a valid point. After all, Karen couldn't just leave her patients any old time she felt like. However, that didn't stop Karen from winking at him when Molly was looking the other way.


	12. Doings at the Malfoy Manor

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling. I made up Hermione's parent's first names because I couldn't find any reference to their actual names. If anyone knows them, let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes.

AT MALFOY MANOR

Narcissa Malfoy was curled up by the fireplace in her sitting room when one of the house elves entered and announced the arrival of Nymphadora Tonks.

"Let her in," Narcissa instructed the elf, then stood up and checked herself in the mirror.

"Hello, Aunt Cissy," Tonks said as she walked in, gave Narcissa a brief hug and threw herself into the nearest chair.

"Nymphadora, how are you?"

"Fine, just wonderful. Thanks," Tonks said as Narcissa handed her a cup of tea.

"Work okay?" Narcissa continued with the pleasantries.

"Yeah, it's great. Listen, I have a favor to ask you--could you please get Uncle Lucius to call off the dogs?"

Narcissa shook her head, confused.

"Aunt Cissy, he's leading a campaign to get Arthur Weasley sacked. You know, over that flying car."

"Nymphadora, what are you talking about?"

Tonks impatiently repeated the story for her aunt, who listened, interested, to every word.

"So could you? Huh? Please? Make Uncle Lucius stop?"

Narcissa crossed her arms and leaned forward. "Just one thing I don't understand--what in the world is your interest in all this?"

"Well--Arthur Weasley is a decent person--and he has all those kids--and I just think this whole inquiry is a bit much."

Narcissa raised one eyebrow. "He did break the law, Nymphadora."

"Well, okay, but does he really deserve to lose his job?"

Narcissa stood up and walked toward the fireplace. Despite Nymphadora's insistence that her own interest in the case was purely friendly, Narcissa could see the old familiar story of a young girl with a crush on an older man. Narcissa thought rapidly. She had no love for the Weasleys, but Molly was a distant relative. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to intervene in this case, put Molly in her debt.

"All right," Narcissa said turning around to face Tonks. "I won't promise that I can change his mind, but I will talk to him."

"Thanks Aunt Cissy," Tonks bounced up and hugged her aunt again before she got ready to leave.

"One more thing," Narcissa said, and Tonks turned around. "Look after yourself, okay?" Narcissa said quietly.

Tonks nodded and left. Narcissa sighed. Andromeda really ought to talk to that girl.

STILL AT MALFOY MANOR

Later that evening, Lucius and Naricssa lounged on the sofa, not talking about anything at all, when Narcissa leaned her head back on her husband's shoulder and asked casually, " How's everything at work?"

"The usual. Dealing with idiots all day long."

Narcissa chuckled. She took her husband's hand and slowly traced the contours of his fingers. "I meant to ask you. Whatever happened with that story about the flying car? You know--it was in the papers for awhile, bu t I haven't seen any updates."

To her surprise, Lucius laughed. "Actually, I've been quite involved in that case, myself. Arthur Weasley enchanted the car, and Arthur Weasley will be removed from his position over it. I'm seeing to it."

"Hmm. Interesting." Narcissa shrugged as if she were bored with the story.

"I take it you don't approve?" Lucius asked sarcastically.

Narcissa flipped over and put her arms around him. "Well--it's not that I don't approve. I mean, I personally think the Weasley are quite irritating at any time. It's just that--well--"

"Yes?"

"You see, Arthur Weasley is just small potatoes. Let's say you remove him from his job, and I know you could do it, but what will you really accomplish? The Ministry will just replace him with another beaurocratic pawn, and the replacement could be more annoying than Weasley. See what I mean?" She snuggled closer to him and lowered her voice. "If you really want to make big changes, you have to go after a bigger fish. Somebody like...Dumbledore, for instance. If you got him out of Hogwarts, that would make a significant change."

Lucius took his wife by the shoulders and pulled her up to face him. "Narcissa, are you crazy? Dumbledore has an enormous following. I can't just have him removed, regardless of my personal feelings."

"I didn't say you should launch a campaign against Dumbledore," said Narcissa, all wide-eyed innocence,"I was just giving an example. That's all.

Narcissa settled against her husband again and smiled as she felt him stroking her hair. She knew he was thinking, and she knew she had planted the seeds of a new and revolutionary idea in his mind.


	13. Disciplinary Action

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling. I made up Hermione's parent's first names because I couldn't find any reference to their actual names. If anyone knows them, let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes.

To Tonk's dismay, she had to be out of the office when Arthur's disciplinary action was decided upon. When her assignment in the field was completed, she looked at the time and realized that most of her co-workers would have gone home for the day. Hoping against hope, she decided to stop in at the office before heading home herself. Perhaps there was somebody working late who could fill her in.

She walked through the darkened corridors to her desk, looking for anybody she knew, but all she saw was a solitary house-elf cleaning the floors outside her cubicle. With a curt nod in his direction, she sank down into her chair and put her face in her hands. She sighed deeply as she realized that she would have to wait another day to find out if her plan worked.

"Miss Tonks?"

Tonks jumped and knocked over her pencil cup before looking up dumbly at Arthur Weasley. He was leaning against the edge of her doorway and smiling at her.

"What--what--hi," she said weakly.

"Miss Tonks, I wanted to come by and thank you."

"What for?" she nearly whispered.

"For the other day, when you came to the hearing. It really helped to see a friendly face in the crowd."

"Oh, right." She was afraid he had found out about her going to Aunt Cissy. Then she realized that he would have no way of finding out about that. "No problem. Can I ask, how--what happened?"

"I got a written reprimand."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he laughed. "It's better than what I expected."

Tonks nodded, but she still felt disappointed. She had hoped for better from Aunt Cissy.

"Are you leaving? May I walk you out?"

Tonks nodded again as she stood up and pushed her chair under her desk. She felt self-conscious as she walked down the hallway with him, trying not to trip over anything or do something foolish. She thought that she needed to say something to break the silence.

"I don't think they should have done anything to you at all," she blurted out.

"Nice sentiment, but the fact is, I broke the rules and went outside of Ministry policy. They were well within their rights to do what they did," Arthur replied reasonably.

"Yeah, but all the years you've put into this job, and--"

"Miss Tonks," he interrupted. "I'm surprised at you, condoning breaking the rules. What kind of Auror are you?"

Tanks looked at him quickly, afraid that she had offended him, but he was smiling at her.

She blushed and smiled. "All right, all right. I shouldn't condone rule breaking. Okay, Arthur Weasley, maybe they should have put me in charge of discipline. I would have given it to you, but good."

For some reason, it was Arthur's turn to blush and look away. Tonks was mortified. She hadn't meant to say--oh crud. She was always putting her foot in her mouth whenever he was around. Everything she said came out wrong.

They were in the stairwell, walking down the stairs, an uncomfortable silence between them. Tonks could see the outside exit and decided to hurry down the last couple steps to make a quick getaway. But in her hurry her foot slipped and she flung her arms out, grasping wildly for anything to hold on to. The end result was she and Arthur wound up in a heap at the bottom of the stairs.

"Miss Tonks, are you okay?" Arthur said weakly as he struggled to his feet.

"Wonderful," she muttered, as he pulled her to a standing position.

"No injuries?"

"No." Tonks felt like she just wanted to cry.

Arthur put a hand on her shoulder. "You know, what you were saying back there about who deserves to be disciplined, or not. I just want to say, loyalty to your friends is not a bad trait. Not at all. You sure you're okay?"

Tonks merely nodded. She couldn't speak, and she couldn't look him in the eye.

"Good night, Miss Tonks." Arthur pushed through the door and Disaparated.

Tonks leaned her back against the wall and covered her burning face with her hands. All she wanted at this moment was a transfer to another department. Preferably in Bulgaria.


	14. What Dobby Saw

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling. I made up Hermione's parent's first names because I couldn't find any reference to their actual names. If anyone knows them, let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes.

Karen Granger had decided to treat herself to a visit to the hairdresser's for the works; highlights, cut, manicure, pedicure. After a sound scolding from her stylist about the fact that she hadn't been in all summer, they settled down for a good round of gossip while Karen was getting "done".

After she paid her bill and left, she meandered down the street, gazing into shop windows and wondering how she would occupy her free time. A store window display caught her eye, and she stopped to look. Then, she checked her own reflection in the glass, examining her new haircut.

As she patted her hair into place, she heard a voice behind her. "Vain, aren't we, Dr. Granger?"

She let out a yelp as she jumped, startled. Looking at her with one eyebrow raised was Lucius Malfoy.

Recovering her composure, she smiled a wicked smile and said, "Lu, how are you? Long time no see."

"Don't call me 'Lu'."

"Then don't jump out at me like that."

"I didn't jump out. I walked up. You were just too occupied with looking at yourself. But never mind that. There's something I want to show you."

"What--where?"

"In my world, naturally."

"Look, Lu, I don't know..."

"I said don't call me that."

Karen waved her hand. "I don't think I can."

"Why, are you afraid? Don't think you can make it in my world?" He asked her condescendingly.

"Actually, I don't remember ever saying I _could_ survive in your world. And, I don't care, either. But I have hours tonight."

"What do you mean you have hours?"

"Office hours, when I see patients. I always see my pediatric patients in the evenings during the school year."

"Sounds like a flimsy excuse to me."

Karen tapped her foot for a moment, thinking. "Can you get me back by 4:30?"

"Of course. I'm not kidnapping you."

"Then let's do it. Lead the way."

Karen followed Lucius down a grungy side street, which opened up, into an alley. The alley was strewn with muck and Karen balked. "I'm really not dressed for this. My shoes will get ruined."

"Oh, for--" With a quick look around to make sure they were unobserved, Lucius took out his wand to clear the path.

"Wait," Karen said.

"What now?"

"You can't do that. You can't perform magic in front of a muggle. I know you have some law about secrecy. Won't you get in trouble?"

"There are loopholes to every law, Dr. Granger. You've been to Diagon Alley, haven't you? And you've been to Platform 9 3/4. As the parent of a witch, you have some special privileges in our world that aren't extended to other muggles."

Karen shrugged. "If you say so. In either case, I wouldn't be the one to get in trouble."

Lucius proceeded to clear the path. As Karen followed him, she asked, "Then why can't my daughter--?"

"Because she's underage."

At the end of the alley stood a rotting wooden door. Lucius shoved open the door onto a dingy courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard sat a rusted-out metal table with a rusty aluminum soda can on it.

"I really hope what you want to show me is better than this," said Karen, looking around in distaste.

Lucius sniffed. "Naturally. Listen to me. That can on the table is a portkey. That means that by touching it, it will take you to a predetermined location. This is how I'm going to get us there."

"By touching that nasty old thing? I'll probably get hepatitis B. At least the grocery store I took you to was clean."

"Do you want to come with me or not?"

Karen sighed. "So what do I have to do?"

"The user has to grab hold of it. The portkey will do the rest."

"That thing is really dirty. What about my manicure I just paid for? It's not like I'm some witch who can just say 'abracadabra' and fix it."

"I'll fix it if it gets messed up! You're wasting time."

"Lu the manicurist? Actually, that would be worthwhile to see. Okay, I'm in."

"Don't be so sure you're not a witch." Lucius muttered. "Oh, and there's one other thing. You will get spun around. So, unless you want to arrive there on the seat of your pants, hold on to me. I've used this many times."

Karen shrugged, walked over to Lucius and wrapped her arms around him, tightly. Lucius hesitated--this wasn't exactly what he had meant. He thought she would just take his arm, but she misunderstood. He had never been this close to a muggle before and was annoyed that it wasn't entirely awful. Her head came up to his chin and she smelled nice from the treatments they had put on her hair. As he stood, trying to focus his thoughts, she looked up at him and asked," Am I doing this wrong?"

"No," he muttered curtly before he put one arm around her and the other hand on the portkey.

Lucius had been right. The spinning was quite unpleasant, and Karen thought that a test tube in a centrifuge must feel this way. But it got them to their destination in one piece, although Karen found that when they let go of each other she was too unsteady to walk on her own, and she slipped her arm through his for support before taking a look around. They were in front of a handsome, unmarked building in a town she couldn't identify.

As Lucius led her wobbly steps towards the front door, they were joined by a house-elf; a wizened little creature wrapped in some unidentifiable piece of cloth. The house-elf's eyes darted from Lucius to Karen and away again, only to look at them both fearfully.

"Come along, Dobby," Lucius said as he took his cloak and walking-stick from him, and the house-elf obeyed, walking before them, occasionally looking back at them.

They entered the lobby of the building, where an elderly wizard sat behind a reception desk. "Wait here," Lucius murmured to Karen as he helped her into a comfortable, overstuffed chair. She was still wobbly. Lucius went to speak to the man at the desk, while Dobby stood between Karen and Lucius, looking back and forth between them. Karen tried smiling at Dobby, but his eyes opened wide, he shook his head, then started hitting himself. Karen looked away quickly, somewhat at a loss. She wondered if he had psychiatric problems.

There seemed to be some intense conversation at the desk, but Lucius came back for her and proceeded to lead her through the lobby. The receptionist gave her a look that was decidedly disapproving. Annoyed by his disapproving stare, she decided to smile sweetly at him. When that didn't help, she walked over to him, held out her hand and said with a strange foreign accent, "Hey y'all and howdy, how are you? I'm Betty Jo, the squibb. I'm here from out of town and dear Cousin Lucius has been kind enough to show me the sights. And, I declare, I've never seen anything like this in all my born days. And it must be hard for a wizard like you to understand, but being a squibb has been a profound and never-endin' sorrow. Why, just last week, I was pining away, thinking about it, when Big Daddy says to me, he says, 'darlin' sugarbaby, y'all know we have kinfolk overseas, why don't you go and stay a spell?"

The receptionist looked at her warily, and Lucius stood frozen to the spot, not reacting and not daring to interrupt this monologue.

Karen continued, "Did I just say 'stay a spell'? Oh how amusing. Get it? Stay a spell? And me a squibb! Ha ha. So where was I? Oh that's right. Thank you for your kind welcome."

The receptionist took her hand because she showed no signs of withdrawing it, but he didn't know what to do. The only remotely plausible part of that entire story was the part of her not being magical. Furthermore, he had the distinct impression that she was making fun of him. But on the other hand, Lucius Malfoy stood right by her with a perfectly expressionless face, not contradicting her at all. There were rules against non-magical guests, but there was little the receptionist could do when the rule breaker was as well connected and influential as Malfoy. He let her pass.

"What was that all about?" Lucius hissed at her.

"He looked at me funny. Didn't like it," she replied haughtily.

"But you can't _do_ things like that!"

"Would you like to hear my stirring rendition of 'O Canada' in four part harmony?"

For a moment he considered taking her back home. In fact, that seemed the wisest thing to do. However, she definitely relieved his boredom--being around her was like playing with a lit firecracker.

"Come on," he mumbled.

He led her through a door off the lobby and into a large and fairly crowded room. One wall was made from some dark but sparkly material, and there were gaming tables scattered around. Karen observed that the crowd was mostly men, but some of the men had wives or girlfriends with them. Karen drew closer to Lucius so she wouldn't lose him.

"What is this place?" Karen asked.

"My club. Have you ever seen a dragon race before?"

"For real?"

"This way," he led her to a display of pictures of the dragons that would be racing today. The dragons in the pictures moved around, just as the pictures in Hermione's yearbook moved around, too.

"Pick one," Lucius said.

"I didn't bring any wizarding money with me."

"Never mind that. Just pick one."

Karen grinned at him. "Mind you, I'm only picking the one I think is prettiest. So don't bet your entire fortune on him. That one." She indicated a dark red dragon with gold-tipped ears and tail.

"You wait here. Dobby, get Dr. Granger a drink." He went to place the bet.

"Tea will be fine, Dobby, " Karen said.

Dobby was back with the drink before Lucius was back. He handed the tea to Karen, looking at her fearfully. When she tried to thank him, he shook his head violently.

"No! Mustn't talk to Dobby! Mustn't thank Dobby!"

Karen turned away before he could start hitting himself again.

They watched the race on the large, sparkly wall. It was enchanted somehow. Karen was shocked at how much violence there was. Not only did the dragons have to display their speed, but also they would often attack each other during the race. Yet, when the red and gold dragon won, Karen couldn't help feeling a little surge of pride. She looked up and back at Lucius who was just behind her. By coincidence, at the same time they both said, "Beginner's luck." Karen smiled, but Lucius, who was standing quite close to her due to the crush of the crowd, looked away first.


	15. Mrs Weasley goes to Knockturn Alley

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling. I made up Hermione's parent's first names because I couldn't find any reference to their actual names. If anyone knows them, let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes.

As the mother of seven children, Molly Weasley had learned to make the most of whatever free time came her way, when it came her way. Ever since Arthur's Inquiry had been completed, he had been much more relaxed. The morning that Molly woke up with Arthur's arms around her, she knew that it would take all her ingenuity to get him out the door on time for work.

She did, however, and by the time she kissed him goodbye and he reminded her that he would be home late that night, she was ready to spring into action. As soon as he was gone from her sight, she locked the doors and ran up to her room. She put on her plainest, most nondistinct clothing, grabbed her biggest hooded cloak and raced to the attic to its dimmest corner, and said the incantations that would reverse the concealing charms she had placed to keep the twins from finding this particular object.

She picked up the object like it was poison, and wrapped it in a heavy cloth and tucked it under her cloak. Standing in front of her fireplace, she reached for a pinch of Floo Powder, then remembered something. Running up to her room she grabbed her biggest pair of sunglasses then returned to the fireplace.

"Knockturn Alley," she whispered, afraid but resolute.

A moment later, she was in an grimy alleyway in the dirtiest, filthiest street she had ever seen. As she walked out to join the crowds walking on the sidewalks, she was surrounded by desperate looking men and women who were no better than they ought to be. Molly kept her eyes to herself, looking only for her destination, but she still walked past it several times before she worked up the courage to enter Borgin & Burkes.

Molly kept her hood on her hair and the sunglasses over her eyes as she walked toward the cashier's desk. She was disgusted by the objects around her, the few she could see all hooded and shaded as she was. However, she was about to add another one to the collection in just a few minutes.

She rang the bell and Mr. Borgin came bustling out of his back room. He showed no surprise at her strange costume. Many of his customers wished to remain anonymous. He could also guess at the name she would use.

"I would like to sell this object," Molly said in a low, whispery voice, and without further preamble she pushed the package across the counter to him.

Mr. Borgin had been in business for many years, but his eyes opened wide when he unwrapped the package and saw what Molly had in the box. "I-I-you want me to buy this, Mrs-Mrs-"

"Smith."

Mr. Borgin was too shocked to even indulge in a cyincal thought about her fake name. Quickley, he pulled out his wand and locked the doors and pulled the shades. Molly took a deep breath as she reminded herself not to crumble now.

"Mrs. Smith, you must understand, for me to buy or sell an object like this--for you to buy or sell this," he lowered his voice to the quietest whisper, "We could both wind up in," he paused, delicately.

Molly whispered, also. "I know that. Is it a deal or not?"

Mr. Borgin debated with himself. Molly could not see all the expressions that passed over his face as he considered the possible consequences, profitable and unprofitable, that could come from this transaction, but she could hear him pacing and see him wringing his hands. Finally he stopped and leaned close to her. "I'll buy it," he said, as if he were afraid of himself for what he was saying.

Molly pocketed the gold and swept out of the store. Now that her mission was complete, she was shaking in the aftermath of her fear. She hurried out of the shop and down the the street toward the alley when saw Narcissa Malfoy, attended by a house elf, pausing to look in a shop window. Molly tried to duck through the nearest door, which was the door to a tavern, but she only suceeded in crashing into and stepping on the toes of a big, rough looking wizard who grabbed her arm and pulled her into the tavern before she could even apologize.

"Watch where you're going, sister," he said angrily. She would smell the alcohol on his breath. "You're not from around here, or you would know better than to walk without looking where you're going. But I'll make a deal with you. Give me all the money you have with you, and I'll let you go. Eventually."

Molly heard other people laughing, but she dared not take off her hood. She tried to squirm her way out, but that only caused more laughter.

"She's trying to fight you, boss!"

"Sister, we can do this the easy way or the hard way." She felt herself being dragged through the tavern. She had wanted to get to Knockturn Alley and back without making a scene, but that would obviously be impossible. She mentally tried a couple spells, but he was blocking them. He must have been surrounded by some sort of charms.

He pulled her through a tiny corridor, then into a back room, where she was shoved through the door. Molly tripped over her cloak, but managed to catch herself before she fell. In terror, she heard the door shut and locked, and turned to face her tormentor.

Molly gasped as she saw him change his appearance in front of her. She'd had no idea the man was a metamorphmagus, but she recognized him very well.


	16. Just can't play well with anyone

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling. I made up Hermione's parent's first names because I couldn't find any reference to their actual names. If anyone knows them, let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes.

Karen sat on a bar stool and leaned her back against the wall, cue in hand, watching Lucius take his turn. It had been years since she had been to this place, and she hadn't remembered how hazy and dark and dingy it was.

Lucius was complaining as he aimed. "If you wanted to play billiards, we have that at the club."

"Ah yes, your club. You know, I think the receptionist really likes me. He probably wants to ask me out for a drink, " She said, sarcastically. Lucius had taken her back to his club again, and the same receptionist was there. He didn't make eye contact with her that time, but he muttered little things under his breath, which sounded rather disrespectful. Then there was Dobby, who always looked at her with that weird expression. Lucius had told her that house-elves always wore that weird expression, but it didn't make Karen feel any better.

It was nighttime, the first time she and Lucius had ever been someplace after dark. Steve had an out-of-town something-or-other and Karen had been closing her office when Lucius popped up unexpectedly, like he always did. Karen wondered if he had some wizard way of knowing her schedule because he always seemed to find her when she had nothing else going on. It put her at a disadvantage, in a way, but on the other hand, she could soothe her conscience by telling herself that it wasn't like she was seeking him out. Steve still didn't know how she spent some of her afternoons, and Karen couldn't shake a certain sense of guilt about her secret meetings with Lucius.

"Where did you ever find this place, anyway?" Lucius was asking.

"My girlfriends and I used to come here all the time in college." She lowered her voice. "But between you and me, I don't remember it being this much of a dive."

They were alone in a room a little off the side from the main area. They had arrived before the regulars, and pretty much had the place to themselves. Lucius sent a ball skidding into a corner pocket. Karen nodded approvingly. When his turn was over, she laughed at him as he wiped his hands on a pocket-handkerchief.

"Stop laughing. The dirt in here is disgusting."

"Oh, don't be such a sissy. A little dirt never hurt anybody," she retorted, as she slid off her stool.

She lined up her shot and was about to hit it when he said, "Stop just a moment."

She looked up to see Lucius coming around the table to her. "Silly muggle female can't play billiards," he was muttering. Without further ado, he got behind her, covered her hands with his own, and attempted to show her how to aim properly. Suddenly she was embarrassed by his nearness, and couldn't help making a smart remark.

"So, Lu, what are you trying to teach me?" she asked, in a challenging tone of voice.

Abruptly he took the cue out of her hands, picked her up and sat her down on the pool table facing him. Putting one arm around her and placing his other hand under her chin, he tipped her face up to his. "What lesson do you want, Dr. Granger?" he said, staring at her.

Karen panicked. This was the first time he had made a real pass at her. For the first time she felt like she might have gotten in over her head. It was just supposed to be an innocent little banter, not a full-blown affair. She tried to laugh him off, tried to drain off some of the tension.

"Oh, Lu, be serious." She tried to get down, but he only responded by putting his other arm around her. "Lu, let's continue the game."

"Which game are you referring to, Karen?" It was the first time he had called her by her first name.

"Billiards," she said, firmly, plucking his arms from around her waist and sliding back onto her feet on the floor.

"It's not that easy, is it Karen?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm sure you do. You like being with me. You enjoy my company."

Karen realized denial would be worthless. "So what if I do like being with you? We always have a few laughs, don't we? That doesn't mean you have an open invitation to turn all Neanderthal on me."

"Neanderthal! You were the one who started everything. Back in Diagon Alley. You couldn't resist flirting with me even then."

"Wrong, pal, you were looking at me, first."

"Well why don't I just go home then."

"Fine."

"Fine."

With that, not caring if any muggles saw or not, Lucius Disaparated. Karen gulped down the last of her drink and called a cab.


	17. I think I thought I wanted this

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling. I made up Hermione's parent's first names because I couldn't find any reference to their actual names. If anyone knows them, let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes.

MOLLY

At dinner, Molly eyed her empty glass of firewhiskey and reluctantly stood up to fill her glass with water from the sink. It would never to do pour herself another firewhisky under the watchful eyes of her husband. She knew that if he commented on it, she would snap at him, and there would be a fight. Of course, if she snapped at him, it would be from out of her own guilt, and she knew it. Arthur would probably not object to her having a second drink. It was just that she knew something he didn't--she had already had a couple before he came home.

It had been several days since the afternoon in the pub at Knockturn Alley; she had been grateful to get away from there as easily as she had. Because, after all, her tormentor was known as a dangerous man. His type always were. However, he had let her go after he had threatened her first, and then extracted a promise from her. A promise that she was not sure she could keep, but she had been willing to say anything to get away.

The entire experience of Knockturn Alley left her achy and sore, both emotionally and physically. She had come home and paced the floor of her living room frantically for a while before she decided to pour herself a drink. That relaxed her enough so she could sit on the couch without bouncing back up. However, sitting still for the first time made her realize she must have pulled something in her back when she was thrown through the door of that room. She drank another firewhiskey to loosen the knot in her back. Then, she drank a third firewhiskey just because it was there. She primly decided that a fourth drink would make her a closet drinker, and she quite virtuously put away the bottle and washed out the glass.

She had awakened the next morning thirsty and headachy, but these symptoms faded as the day went on. She had her housework to occupy her, after all, but by late afternoon her back was aching again and she was trying not to think about her tormentor. She decided to have just one drink. Arthur would be home normal time, and she just wasn't up to explaining why she started cocktails without him. Especially since they never had cocktails before dinner anyway. Reluctantly she put away the bottle before he came home.

Things went like this for a few days. Molly monitored the level of firewhiskey in the bottle. She would have to buy some more soon. Just to replace what was gone, that's all. Just to replace what was gone.

KAREN

_That arrogant, egotistical, stuck-up jerk of a wizard could just--could just_...Karen couldn't think of anything suitably severe for Lucius to do to himself. Several rather crude ideas passed through her mind, but none of them seemed painful enough to suit her.

It had been several days since that night in the pool hall, and Karen got mad again every time she thought about it. Mad at him and mad at herself. She decided angrily that she was through with wizards forever. Then she realized that she couldn't possibly make good on that decision because her daughter was a witch, with magical friends, who would most likely marry a wizard some day, and whether Karen liked it or not, whether Karen was muggle or not, her own life would be closely connected to the wizarding world for the rest of her days.

Karen wondered if all wizards acted like Lucius. Surely not somebody like Arthur Weasley, for instance--he was the perfect, solid, nice family man. Of course, Arthur just wasn't interesting like Lucius was.

Then Karen was forced to realize what she wanted to pretend away, the thing deep down inside herself she wanted to deny. She was interested in Lucius. She liked verbally sparring with him; she liked teasing him and getting him annoyed. She had liked pushing him to see just how far she could go before he would react.

Well, she found out. And she felt guilty about it. That was the part she didn't want to face. That she had flirted with another man. That's why she had needed to put Lucius in the wrong, to cover her own guilt.

Karen had arrived home from the pool hall and paced her living room frantically for a while before she decided to take a good, long, look at herself. Karen needed to pay more attention to her own home and to Steve. She would start right away, this instant, the moment Steve came home.

For the next few days, she kept to her resolution. She made Steve his favorite dinners, paid extra special attention to him, and didn't tune him out when he bored her. To her surprise, Steve repaid her attention with little gallantries; he brought her flowers, held her chair for her at dinner and even helped her wash the dishes. Karen was starting to salve her sore conscience.

One evening Steve came home, threw his arms around Karen and kissed her before swinging her in the air.

"What did I do to deserve that 'hello?'" Karen laughed dizzily.

"Do you remember the Weasleys talking about going to Egypt over the Christmas Holidays? What would you say to a trip to Bermuda? --After all, Hermione did owl, saying she wanted to stay at Hogwarts over Christmas with her friends."

"I say that's a wonderful idea," Karen replied, kissing him back.

It was a wonderful idea; to get away from their home, to be alone together doing something fun. To be far away from the wizarding world. A wonderful idea.

ARTHUR

Arthur picked at his food and made desultory conversation with his wife, but his mind was far away. Things had continued to be difficult at work; cases were coming in at an increased rate. The fine he had to pay for the flying car incident hurt, but his immediate coworkers were sympathetic. Except possibly for Tonks. He hadn't seen her in a long time, and he was sure she was avoiding him since the occurrence in the stairwell. He thought that she was overreacting just a bit.

At this moment Molly stood up to fill her glass with water and Arthur looked closely at his wife for the first time in a long time. Molly seemed tired and tense. Arthur felt guilty. He felt like he should have known how she was feeling. After all, Molly was alone during the day for the first time since the children were born. Maybe she was lonely. Maybe she was bored. The house was tidy and neat, but with just the two of them at home, it didn't take very long to clean it anymore.

Arthur pushed his chair back and went up to Molly who was standing at the sink, and hugged her from behind.

"Are you okay?" He whispered.

Okay. What did okay mean? That you have no problems? That you only have little problems? That your problems don't involve illegal activities and persons with fearful powers? She turned around and put her arms around his neck.

"I'm fine, Arthur. I just need a change of scenery, that's all. I can't wait to see Bill again."

A change of scenery. What a good way to put it.


	18. Where everybody knows your name

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling. I made up Hermione's parent's first names because I couldn't find any reference to their actual names. If anyone knows them, let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes.

A/N Okay, everybody, just in time for November sweeps…

Madame Rosmerta stood behind the bar, pouring drinks and chatting with the customers on this Saturday night in mid-December. She was pleased with the number of customers she had tonight. Lots of holiday customers meant lots of holiday profits. There was also much more drama going on as the holidays approached. Some of it made pretty good entertainment.

For instance, there was Lucius Malfoy, who was studiously ignoring the muggle woman who had arrived with the Weasleys. For her part, the muggle was busy ignoring Lucius. Even thought they were seated at opposite ends of the restaurant Ro caught the undercurrent between them. It had been pretty subtle, actually, and Ro was sure most people would not have been able to guess anything, but Ro had seen the way the wizard had allowed his glance to rest ever so quickly on the muggle woman as she entered the restaurant before he looked away and kept his eyes strictly on his own side of the room. For her part, the muggle was paying extra special attention to the people she was with, not allowing her eyes to wander even for a moment to the wizard's side of the room. Only two people who were ignoring each other on purpose could be so thorough about it.

Ro could remember a time when muggles never came to her place. It was still unusual, but the muggles who did come were always guests of wizards, just like this woman and the man with her, who Ro assumed was her husband. Ro didn't care. She wasn't prejudiced, and she never noticed that muggles were worse customers than wizards; their money was just as good, and she could deposit it at the bank just as well.

The Grangers and the Weasleys were by themselves for the Christmas holidays, and the Weasleys decided to take the Grangers to their favorite restaurant near Hogwarts.

Karen had seen Lucius and Narcissa through the window before they got inside the restaurant, so she was able to ignore him first before they even walked in.

"Thank you for inviting us to dinner," Karen said to Arthur as they sat down at their table.

"We knew you two have never been here before, and we thought you'd like it," he replied. "So, shall we order drinks?"

Karen met Molly's eye and grinned. Molly grinned back. "Wine," they both said.

They had their first glasses of wine as they chose their appetizers from the menu. Their second glasses of wine were consumed while they actually ate the appetizers. "After all," Karen pointed out, " I won't be driving tonight."

"Neither will I," said Molly, and both women giggled as if something terribly funny had been said. The husbands merely shook their heads.

If Lucius Malfoy had been a lowly muggle or even just a lesser wizard, he would have choked on his dinner at the first sight of Karen entering the restaurant. Especially because her entrance had been brought to his attention by his wife. But Lucius commended himself on keeping iron control over his emotions.

"So help me, Lucius," Narcissa said, "If this becomes a muggle restaurant, they won't be getting any more of my business."

"Quite right, dear," he murmured as he carefully avoided looking at Karen.

Ro gasped when she looked up at the door and saw Gilderoy Lockheart enter. She quickly primped in the mirrored wall behind her before she turned to watch his progress. Dipping her head slightly, she gazed at him through her lashes, and surely enough, caught his eye. She gave him a tight smile then busied herself drying and hanging wine glasses.

As if on cue, he swept up to the bar and seated himself across from her.

"How can I help you this evening?" Ro asked demurely.

"One chardonnay, if you please," said Lockheart, sizing her up.

Ro handed the glass across the bar to him.

"Thank you, miss..."

"Madame Rosmerta."

"You don't look old enough to be 'Madame', " said Lockheart ingratiatingly.

Ro shrugged. "You haven't introduced yourself," she pointed out.

Lockheart seemed unpleasantly surprised. "I'm Gilderoy Lockheart."

"The book author? I'm pleased to meet you."

Lockheart seemed a little mollified that she recognized his name, at least, if not his face. "I understand that I have some fans in this little town. I hoped to meet some of them tonight."

Ro dropped her eyes to hide the amusement in them. She had really wanted to meet Lockheart, but she had no idea how conceited he was. Now that her curiosity was satisfied, she had an idea. A way she could have a little fun. She put on her most admiring expression, leaned forward over the bar, and said quietly, "I'm one of your fans."

Lockheart raised his glass, "Then the first person I'm drinking to is you."

"Finally, the band's here," Molly said as she sipped her wine. "You two are going to love this--your introduction to wizard music."

The band tuned up and started playing first one tune, then another. A few couples from the tables around them started dancing and the atmosphere was getting festive. Molly squealed when she heard the intro to the third song and grabbed her husband by the wrist.

"We have to dance to this one," she said as she got up and pulled Arthur to his feet. "'Cauldron Full Of Hot, Strong Love' is our song," she explained to Karen and Steve, who looked at them with amusement as she dragged Arthur to the dance floor.

Apparently it was popular with many of the couples there this evening and the Grangers grinned at each other as they listened to the lyrics. Steve said to Karen, "Okay, so it's got a catchy beat, but it's not exactly "Baby I Love Your Way", is it?"

Karen laughed at Steve's reference to their own special song. Then Steve held out his hand and pulled Karen to the dance floor, giving her a little whirl before they danced slowly.

Snape hated the holiday crowds at Ro's place. They were too noisy and bustling, and he preferred the quiet atmosphere that usually reigned there. He had originally planned on staying at Hogwarts tonight, but he was feeling the strain of the recent mysterious attacks and had obtained Dumbledore's leave to go out. Snape needed to get away from Hogwarts, his own chambers and his ridiculous co-workers.

However, the sight that greeted him when he arrived at Ro's did nothing to lighten his mood. He could stand the hostile glare he got from Narcissa Malfoy--he was used to that. What he couldn't stand, was the sight of his hated fellow teacher, Gilderoy Lockheart, at the bar in Snape's usual place, flirting with Ro. Lockheart and Ro were leaning across the bar to each other, oblivious to everything else going on, and Lockheart was twirling a strand of Ro's hair around his finger as he talked to her. To Snape's disgust, Ro was giving every indication of enjoying herself.

Snape stalked through the restaurant, ignoring the noisy band and the dancing customers, and made his way to the bar, where, to his further annoyance, the only seat left was next to Lockheart. Snape pulled the stool as far away as he could from him, and sat down just in time to hear Ro say, in awed tones, "How did you ever think to use that spell for defense? I'm sure I would never have thought about it."

"Experience, my dear lady, experience," Lockheart replied.

Ro noticed Snape at that moment, untangled herself from Lockheart, and took Snape's order. Then she went back to flirting with him. Snape, for his part, nursed his drink slowly and tried to ignore the couple next to him. _Some relaxing evening_.

Arthur Weasley danced a courtesy dance with Karen Granger before he saw some of his associates from the Ministry. He deposited Karen back at their table, and begged everyone's pardon before he went to say his hellos to them.

"It's stuffy in here. I'm going to step out for some air," Karen said coyly to Molly and Steve as she took another swallow of her wine. She walked down the back corridor, where, across the hall from the ladies' room door was an exit. By force of habit which persisted even in her fuzzy, alcohol-induced haze, she checked carefully to make sure that it wasn't a fire door which would sound an alarm the moment she pressed the crash bar, but all she saw was a doorknob, not a crash bar, and like every wizard building she had been in, there were no alarms hooked up to it. She let herself out into the frigid air, and took a deep breath before she rummaged in her purse for her cigarettes. She lit up and was halfway finished when the door opened and she peered over her shoulder to see Lucius letting himself into the courtyard. Karen couldn't say she was surprised. Some feminine instinct told her that he would no more resist coming to find her than she would resist that cigarette. She stubbed it out and turned to face him.

Steve and Molly were the only ones left at the table, and Steve asked Molly for a dance. As she settled into the circle of his arm, she asked, "Are you sure Karen's okay?"

"She's fine. She just went out for a smoke."

"Steve!" Molly exclaimed. "You're bad, mentioning that. All women need their secrets."

"All women?" He asked, archly. Molly stumbled then, and he tightened his arm around her momentarily to steady her. She was half-sorry when he loosened his grip.

"Isn't that the author fellow over there at the bar? The one from Flourish and Blotts? The man flirting with the owner of the restaurant?" Steve asked.

Molly turned her head to look. "Yes, that's him." She looked up to see Steve grinning at her. "You're extra bad for bringing that up, too," but she laughed as she said it. "Besides, I seem to remember that you didn't think it was so silly that I was a fan of his."

"It's not. I just like to tease you a little."

Molly had to admit, she liked it when he teased her.

"You don't know what a pleasure it is to meet such a devoted fan as yourself," said Lockheart.

He and Madame Rosmerta were standing alone in an alcove off the kitchen where she kept spare kitchen supplies, a chair or two, anything she wanted out of sight, but handy if she needed it. He had his arms loosely around her waist.

"I've read every book," she said shyly, looking up at him from under her eyelashes.

"Which one was your favorite?" he asked, kissing her forehead.

Ro closed her eyes and tipped her head back while swaying towards him. "I could never decide, really. I enjoyed them all," she whispered.

"Wonderful," he murmured before he pressed his mouth to hers. She let her arms encircle his neck as he kissed her.

"Madame Rosmerta, a word with you please," came a stern, slightly angry voice.

_Bingo_, thought Ro. _Right on schedule_. She broke off the kiss, but kept her arms around Gilderoy as she turned her head to the man who had spoken to her.

"Severus, can't you see I'm on break? Whatever it is can wait for a little while," she smiled up at Gilderoy, " or longer, whatever."

"It's imperative that I talk to you now," Snape replied, trying to keep his annoyance under control.

Ro sighed heavily and murmured an apology to Gilderoy, who seemed amused by the whole scene. He released her from his embrace, and she followed Snape out the kitchen door, out of earshot of Lockheart.

"Fine, I'm here. What's so urgent that you had to drag me away from my business to tell me?"

"Just this. Stay away from Lockheart."

Ro fought to keep the triumph from showing in her eyes. Snape did care, he came looking for her.

"I don't see how it's any business of yours, Severus."

"We go back a long time, you and I. That's how it's my business."

"Thanks for the advice. I'll take it under advisement. Now, if you don't mind, I still have time left for my break." She whirled around and headed towards the kitchen door.

He grabbed her hand, turning her around. "Didn't you hear anything I said? I'm telling you, stay away from him."

"Severus, I've heard every word you said, and not one word convinced me. I don't see why I should be rude to Gilderoy just on your say-so."

Snape made an irritated noise and growled, "Come with me," as he pulled her along with him, across the crowded restaurant, and down the corridor.

"Wait, just stop, I'm not going anywhere with you when you act like this, Severus," Madame Rosmerta cried, and she started pulling away from him.

"Don't fight with me," said Snape as he grabbed Ro by her upper arms and turned her to face him. Their eyes met and he relaxed his grip on her. "Ro, please. Just talk to me. I know him better than you. Come on." She nodded, and he let go of her arms. Taking her by the hand, more gently this time, he led her down the corridor and out the door to the courtyard.

Karen put her hands on her hips as she turned to face Lucius. There were many things she wanted to say to him, few of them complementary, but the effect of the wine she had drunk, the romantic music from the band and the general excitement of the night was having a contrary effect on her. Karen had always craved excitement, and being pursued by a man was exciting.

"How now, Mr. Malfoy?" Karen tried not to sway too much. She wanted to keep her wits or at least her dignity about her.

"Dr. Granger," he replied. If she could address him like a stranger, he could do the same in reply. But, contrary to his earlier resolution, he found himself looking at her approvingly. This was the first time he had ever seen her in a dress, and he had to admit she looked rather pretty. Funny that he had never really thought that before. He had admired her sarcasm and her wit, and while he would never have categorized her as unattractive, her looks were not what had caught his attention in the beginning. But tonight, for the first time, he was appraising her appearance and to his surprise, not finding her lacking.

They stood, looking at each other warily, neither of them sure who should speak first. Karen took the plunge.

"I suppose," she said, crossing her arms in front of her, "I could wish you Happy Holidays. That is, if you promise not to be a complete idiot about it."

Angry words rose to Lucius' lips before he got a good look at Karen's face. She had a glimmer of humor in her eyes, and he took a deep breath before he answered her.

"I suppose I could return your wishes. As long as you didn't take it the wrong way, of course."

"I suppose you can explain to me what you mean by 'the wrong way'?"

"I mean, that sometimes, a greeting is just a greeting."

Karen looked at the ground.

"I suppose that would be all right," she said.

"Thank you for that gracious concession, Dr. Granger. I really needed the approval of a muggle to make my day complete."

"Why you arrogant--" she flared, as her head snapped up to face him again.

"I got you to look. One up for me," he said, mockingly.

Karen couldn't help laughing and she shook her head.

"I'll make a deal with you Karen. If, and only if you agree that you overreacted at our last meeting will I agree that I overstepped the bounds."

"Okay Lu," Karen held out her hand in agreement.

Lucius took her hand. "Why do you have to call me that?"

"I don't have to call you anything. But 'Lu' suits you somehow."

"Well, I don't like it, and furthermore, you know that." He was getting irritated with her, but he still held her by the hand.

Karen stepped closer. "Maybe your whole problem is that you've had your way too much. Honestly, how else could you be so spoiled and demanding?"

"Asking you to use my proper name is not demanding. Do you want to see demanding?" With that, he threw his arms around her waist, hoisted her up and kissed her mouth.

Karen, under the influence of several glasses of wine, was slow to react. _This is wrong and I shouldn't be here with him and I shouldn't be kissing him and he's not my husband and both our spouses are just inside_...all these thought whirled through her mind feverishly. But just as she put her arms around his neck, the door swung open..._Of course, now is the time we get busted_, Karen thought, and she knew deep inside that it served her right. Lucius quickly put her down on her feet again, and she stepped behind him as he put himself between the door and her.

Snape rarely felt surprise at anything anymore. Disgust, yes. Irritation, all the time. But true surprise was something he thought he had left behind in his gullible teenage years. However, the sight of a muggle woman in the arms of a very willing Lucius Malfoy was something he never thought he would see in this life. He almost forgot that he had Ro by the hand and had brought her back here for something very much like the scene they were now witnessing. He couldn't see the muggle very clearly because she was hiding behind Lucius, trying to compose herself.

The two wizards faced each other, trying to stare each other down.

"Good evening, Severus, I see you have the evening off," Lucius said.

"Same to you, Lucius, I was hoping to have the chance to pay my respects tonight to both you and Mrs. Malfoy.

During this exchange, Karen, once her heart started beating again, was racking her brain trying to think where she had seen the strange wizard before. Because she was sure she had. _Think, think_! All of a sudden it came to her. Stiffening her spine, she stepped out from behind Lucius, much to Lucius' alarm.

"Madame Rosmerta, I just wanted to say I've really enjoyed my visit to your establishment. You have a lovely place," Karen launched in.

From her years of bartending experience, Ro could tell a false flattery from a sincere compliment. The muggle woman's remark fell into the latter category. Not bothering to hide her amusement at the entire scene, Ro replied, "Thank you very much." Then she grinned wickedly at Snape, hiding her intense annoyance at his being reminded of Narcissa. "I beg your pardon, I have things to do." Pulling her hand out of Snape's, she whirled around and marched back into the restaurant in search of Gilderoy.

Before Snape could react to Ro's departure, Karen spoke," Good evening, Professor Snape, my name's Karen Granger, but you may call me Dr. Granger. I'm afraid I didn't have a chance to speak to you personally at the parent teacher conference."

Automatically, Snape shook her outstretched hand, looking down into her face. She looked like an older version of Hermione. Then his eyes narrowed. "Hogwarts doesn't have parent teacher conferences!" He let go of her hand angrily.

"Whoops, my mistake," she replied airily, but she seemed to be challenging him somehow.

Not taking his eyes off Snape, Lucius stepped forward to Karen and touched her on the shoulder. "Good night, Dr. Granger," he said quietly.

Karen waved him off, still watching Snape carefully. "See you around, Mr. Malfoy."

Lucius left and Karen and Snape were alone now in the courtyard. Karen was sizing up Snape carefully. Lucius and Snape might know each other socially somehow, but Snape was a wizard of an entirely different stripe.

"How did you know who I was?" Snape asked.

"Oh please. Didn't you think I would read my own daughter's yearbook? I know all her teachers' names. Furthermore, you can stop looking at me like that."

"Like what, Dr. Granger?"

"Like you are right now, judging me. Go ahead, run off and tell Narcissa for all I care." Karen only flung Narcissa's name at him because of his earlier remark about paying his respects. But the change that came over his face at her name made Karen gasp. "That's it, isn't it? You're angry for Narcissa. You're thinking about Narcissa Malfoy!"

"That's enough, Dr. Granger," Snape said warningly.

"No, I don't think so. You're judging Lucius and me, but you want to do the same thing as we're doing. Shame on you!" She put her hands on her hips. "And besides, what about Madame Rosmerta?"

Snape started to retort, but at that moment the door opened again.

"Oh Karen," came Molly's voice in a sort of drunken singsong.

"Karen, you out here?" Called Steve.

Karen turned to face the door, "Yes, Steve I'm here."

"Who are you talking to?" He asked.

"Steve, this is Professor Snape, Hermione's Potions Master." Karen turned to face Snape. "We were just discussing Hermione's schoolwork."

Snape looked into her face. There was defiance there, but also pleading. Snape knew and Karen knew that he held all the power right now. Snape decided he didn't need to let Karen's husband know that he was being cuckolded, but he gave her a stern glare.

"Honey, don't bother the man on his night off. I'm sure he has enough of work when he's at work," Steve said as he and Molly stepped into the courtyard. Molly had brought the bottle of wine with her. She politely passed it to Karen, who took a sip. Then Karen passed the bottle back to Molly. "Okay, both of you ladies, back to our table." Taking Karen by the arm, he held the door open for both women to enter. With a nod and a shrug to Snape, he followed them indoors.

Madame Rosmerta, "Ro" to her friends, wiped down the tables and swept the floor. She had dismissed her temporary holiday staff early and closed up, wanting some time alone to think about the evening.

Despite her disappointment with Severus, she still had to admit that it was one of the most entertaining evenings she'd seen here in a long time. Gilderoy had pressed to stay after closing, but she politely turned him down. The spouses of Lucius Malfoy and that muggle woman (what was her name?) seemed none the wiser regarding their tryst. The band was a success, and hardly anything was broken.

Ro was pleased, in spite of everything. She'd be able to make ends meet at the end of the year, and perhaps next year would be even better.


	19. The Cat Came Back

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling. I made up Hermione's parent's first names because I couldn't find any reference to their actual names. If anyone knows them, let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes.

AT THE GRANGERS'

"She turned herself into a what?"

"Now just calm down, Steve"

"No, I will not calm down!"

"Madam Pomfrey's owl said the effects will wear off and she'll be back to normal before you know it."

"But a _cat_, Karen?"

"Well..."

"I just knew something like this would happen--I just knew it!"

"Please try to remember, the change isn't permanent."

"Maybe we should call our family doctor."

Karen stared at him in amazement. "And tell her what, exactly? You know we can't tell any other muggles about Hermione's magic; we're under secrecy. And even if we did tell, there's nothing our doctor could do for her anyway. Madam Pomfrey is fully qualified to take care of her."

"What about her schoolwork, huh?"

"Hermione can study in the infirmary. Since when did we ever have to worry about _her_ study habits?"

"This whole Hogwarts thing is a bad idea. We ought to pull her out of there--send her to a normal school."

"Steve, you know you don't mean that. Would you really take her out of that school she loves? It would break her heart and you know it. You don't want to see her unhappy, do you?"

"I want to see her safe."

"And she is safe, Steve. This is just a...silly schoolgirl prank. You pulled silly pranks when you were in school, I seem to remember."

"I never turned myself into a cat."

"You never went to Hogwarts. But I do remember a prank involving railroad tracks, a dairy cow and a tank of nitrous oxide..."

"Never mind about that."

"...That almost got you thrown out of dental school..."

"Karen, stop it."

"...And would have landed you in jail had I not bailed you out..."

"I remember--some help you were. You laughed so hard you could barely talk to the officers, let alone sign your name on the paper. Then it took you a half hour to calm down enough to drive me home. You're just lucky they didn't breathalyze you."

"I had nothing to hide," she said primly. "At least not that night. But don't you see? Hermione is in the best place for her. Even if she does look like a cat. And anyhow, maybe it will teach her a lesson about pulling pranks."

AT THE WEASLEYS'

Molly sat in a room where she had sat many times before, with a friend whom she had visited many times before. The other woman was an old school chum, somebody who had gone to Hogwarts with Molly. Her friend had been beautiful then, with all the boys chasing after her, but she had been a serious student, almost at the top of her class, and she hadn't had time for a boyfriend. When she did marry, she was a devoted wife and mother. And through it all, she and Molly had been close friends.

It was to this woman that Molly had confided when she and Arthur eloped, and she was one of the first people to be told when Molly became pregnant for the first time. Much had changed since those carefree student days, but they remained close friends through it all.

As much as Molly was devoted to her friend, these visits tore at her heart, and the hurt never lessened no matter how many years went by. Her friend never went out. It was up to Molly must go see her and she did, faithfully, at least once a month. They would walk together and talk a little bit. And then, after she left her friend and made her way home, Molly would wonder at the bitterness of fate, that so many bad people flourished, but somebody as good and kind and full of life as her friend had been reduced to this sort of life that was little more than just merely existing.

Arthur knew all about these visits. But on this particular morning, Molly did something first that she had no intention of telling him about. Before she left the house she remembered the firewhisky bottle in the cabinet. She just felt that she couldn't get through this sad visit without a little fortification, so she poured herself a double, drank it down, poured a little more and drank it. Then she washed the glass and put it carefully away, and put the bottle away before she left. When she arrived to see her friend, she was gratified because the edge had been blunted from her pain and pity for the other woman and she was able to sit through their visit and listen to what the other woman had to say without wanting to break down in tears.

And to tell the truth, this was not the first morning the Molly had chosen to "fortify" herself this way.


	20. Private Eyes

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling. I made up Hermione's parent's first names because I couldn't find any reference to their actual names. If anyone knows them, let me know, and I'll make the necessary changes.

Ro read the note and scribbled a quick reply. Securing it around the owl's leg, she sent it off to Hogwarts not even caring if it reached its destination. It was only Lockheart, asking her out for Saturday night. She replied that she would, but secretly she wouldn't be sorry if something came up to make him break their date.

She and Gilderoy had formed a relationship of sorts since the night she had first met him, and he was less and less appealing as time went on. The more she knew him, the more she realized that there was really nothing to him. The only thing keeping him in her life was her sure knowledge that Severus hated it, but even that reason was starting to pall.

Looking back now, she was glad the courtyard had been occupied when Severus took her there. She had been ready to throw herself into his arms, and at the same time throw away her resolution to keep him at an aloof distance until Narcissa was out of the picture. She really couldn't be sorry that things had turned out the way they had that night, but she was getting so tired of waiting.

She had barely seen Severus since then they had seen each other in a store a couple weeks ago, but he was running in and she was running out. They hadn't had time to exchange more than quick hello's, and he acted the same towards her as he always had.

She and Gilderoy were definitely using each other. She knew that if Severus got over his obsession with Narcissa and beckoned to her, she would drop Gilderoy like a hot potato. She also knew that if she stopped pretending to be impressed with tales of Gilderoy's exploits he would dump her without a second thought. And she wouldn't even care.

The bell on her door jingled and she turned to see Albus Dumbledore enter. He took his usual place and ordered his usual order--just one firewhisky on the rocks and a large bowl of pretzels to munch.

"Business slow today?" He asked her.

"Just the usual weekday afternoon," she replied. Looking at him, she couldn't help wonder--_did_ Narcissa ever try to lure him on, and what had been his response to her? The only way she'd ever find out would be if somebody told her. And people did tell her things, knowing she could keep a secret. She knew all sorts of things about people, but the news always stopped with her. Gossip could cost her her business.

As if he were reading her mind, he leaned towards her and lowered his voice, even though the place was empty except for just the two of them.

"You've always been a lady with some sense," he said.

"Thank you, Headmaster."

"I think I can tell you this--Voldemort is trying to make a comeback--trying to gain access back into our world, somehow, someway."

Ro winced when she heard the name, but she nodded.

"Spy for me."

"I beg your pardon, Headmaster?"

"I'm sorry to be so blunt in asking you, but I believe you are capable of looking the truth in the face without shrinking from it. I want you to keep your eyes and ears open. Watch for anything unusual, anything out of the ordinary."

Ro twisted her towel between her hands. "I don't know why you think I would be privy to any information about You Know Who."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at her.

"You have to believe me," Ro continued," I do see and hear a lot of things, and people tell me their secrets, but the type of secrets I hear are more personal--love affairs, money problems, family squabbles. Criminal types don't generally come in here. I don't run that type of a tavern. Or if they do, believe me when I say I don't recognize them as such."

"But if the day came when you heard of such activities as I mentioned, could I count on you to inform me?"

Ro gave him a pained look.

"I won't pretend that you won't be in danger, Madame Rosmerta, but don't you remember how it was in the days of the War? Would you want to see our world turn back to that time?"

"Oh, Headmaster..."

Dumbledore looked at her and sighed. "My humblest apologies, dear lady. My apologies for putting you on the spot, for asking you to do something for me without my even being able to ensure your safety. Will you forgive me?"

Ro nodded.

He paid his tab and headed for the door. As he put his hand on the knob, Ro called out, "Wait."

He turned.

"I suppose--I guess there would be no harm in my just keeping my ears open," she continued.

Dumbledore walked back to the bar. "Thank you, a million times thank you. But understand this. You are not to try to contact me, you understand? I will come back here, just like a regular customer, just as I have these last several years. I will not even ask you if you've heard anything. But if I'm here, and you know something you can tell me safely and privately, that's when you will do so."

"I understand."

"And one other thing," he said, eyes twinkling, "you need not mention anything we talked about today with either Gilderoy or Severus." He winked at her as she blushed. "You know, he thinks very highly of you," he added gravely.

Ro didn't want to ask which "he" Dumbledore was referring to. Besides, she doubted he would give her a straight answer, anyway. Powerful wizards like Dumbledore all seemed to have a penchant for making enigmatic statements. It added to their aura.


	21. Black coffee and other delights

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling

**Thank you to everybody who reviewed. This hit count for this fic is pretty high, so I know people are reading it. Please, review, I like it and it bolsters my fragile ego.**

Tonks took off her robe and tossed it haphazardly over the back of her chair before sinking into it gratefully, sipping her coffee. She'd been gone for the last month on a field assignment, which had the disadvantage that she was away from her family over Christmas, but yielded the definite advantage of not having to see Arthur Weasley.

Of course, on her first day back she had run the gauntlet of her co-workers who were eager to share the latest gossip with her. Some of it was funny, some was less so, but gossip and politics were a part of working in the Auror's office and she had to make sure she was kept informed.

She had barely begun sorting through her pile of incoming messages when she spied a pale violet paper airplane wafting towards her. Plucking it from the air, she opened it to find she was summoned to Scrimgeour's office. Tonks groaned. What did he want with her already? She had submitted her field report first thing, although he had been away from his desk at the time. Was there something wrong with the work she turned in? She heaved herself out of her chair and headed down the hall to his office.

Scrimgeour looked up as she entered and motioned her into a chair. She sat and clasped her hands together.

"While we're waiting, Tonks, how did you think your last assignment went?"

"You have my report, sir."

He waved dismissively. "I didn't ask what happened, I wanted to know what you thought about it."

"It seems to have gone okay, but muggles are not my area of expertise. I've hardly ever known any."

"Consider it training for your next assignment." He looked up as the door opened. "Take a seat and shut the door," he said to the person who had just walked in.

Tonks looked up to see that it was Arthur shutting the door. He sat in the chair next to her, nodding to her before he turned his attention to Scrimgeour.

"I've called you both in this morning because you'll be working together on this next assignment. There's been an increase in the bewitching of muggle objects for dangerous or lethal purposes. You," he said, looking directly at Arthur, "have the expertise to know the types of artifacts that are most likely to be bewitched. And usually they are used for harmless silly pranks." At this Scrimgeour looked severely at Arthur, who returned his look stare for stare.

"You," Scrimgeour continued, looking at Tonks, "have experience with Dark wizards. The types of crimes we've been seeing are most likely the work of such people. You will both be notified when the next case comes in. You understand?"

They both nodded.

"Then you're dismissed."

Arthur got up and left, and Scrimgeour looked sharply at Tonks.

"Is anything the matter?" He demanded gruffly.

"No-no sir."

"You're as pale as a ghost. You're not coming down with anything?"

"Absolutely not, sir."

"Then go."

She turned and left the office, shutting the door behind her only to find Arthur had waited for her. He looked around and cleared his throat before speaking. "I was thinking--uhm--since you don't work with muggles as much as I do--and, well--I don't have the formal training and experience you do with Dark wizards--er, well--what do you think about us studying together--I mean, teaching each other--what we both know."

Tonks, whose hands were suddenly clammy, could only nod.

MEANWHILE...

Going away over the holidays had been exactly what Karen needed, but like all vacations, it was over too soon, and they had to return to the real world. And for Karen, the real world now included Lucius Malfoy.

She didn't like to think about what happened behind The Three Broomsticks; she was ashamed of her behavior, and she hoped that Lucius would decide to forget about it too. Well, only sort of. Feminine to the core, she didn't want to be _that_ easily forgotten. But all the same, she felt no surprise when, only after a few days back home, he sought her out.

She was embarrassed to see him, but she looked him steadily as he explained why he was there.

"Come with me, Karen. We'll...get a cup of coffee and just talk." His manner was grave and deferential.

_Get a cup of coffee and just talk_? Karen thought, incredulously. "Maybe that's not such a good idea right now."

He nodded understandingly. "Because of what happened the last time we met?"

Karen nodded.

"Well perhaps," he said calmly, "that makes it a very good reason for us to talk."

She looked up into his face and she wondered what he was up to. He was acting so unlike his normal self that she was intrigued. She was also curious as to what he had to say. She nodded and he took her to a quiet place where he could Aparate them without being seen by muggles.

To her surprise, they actually were at a coffee shop, and he ordered for her, something she would ordinarily never allow except she was more interested in what he had to say than in what she was drinking.

"Cream and sugar?" She requested, looking around.

He solemnly tapped the rim of her cup with his wand twice. "You're looking well."

"Thank you."

"Is there anything else you'd like? Donut, maybe or a biscotti?"

Karen slammed her napkin down. "That does it, who are you and what did you do with Lu? Is this some sort of trick? Some sort of wizarding-body-switcharoo?" She glared at him.

"What's wrong now? What did I say?"

"Nothing, only you're acting like a normal person. No, I take that back. You're talking like you've read from some script--completely out of character."

"But I thought you muggle women love to talk about your feelings."

"Now you sound like you watched too many daytime talk shows. And anyway, what makes you an expert on muggle women?"

"I think I know you pretty well by now," he said, eyebrow raised.

"Now," she said, leaning back in her chair. "That's the smug arrogance I've come to expect from you. I can't believe you told me I 'looked well'," she added scornfully.

"Fine," he hissed. "You look better than well. I don't get you sometimes. First you're mad when I'm aggressive, then you're mad when I'm nice. You don't know what you want, do you?" He asked as he took her hands.

"Now you've got me figured out," she said as she half-heartedly tried to pull her hands away. He wasn't letting go so easily and it was a little bit frightening. She was sure he wouldn't make a scene in a public place like this, so the question was, did she want to be with him? She fought a battle inside herself, a battle of conscience and morals and plain good judgment and lost. She stopped struggling. Then he put her hand to his face.

What they didn't know was that they were being watched. Through a window, Trina Goyle saw Lucius and a muggle and smiled with derision. It was a nasty little secret of wizarding life that certain wizards liked to pick up muggle mistresses. It gave them a feeling of power, and the women were always impressed. And the risk to the wizards was pretty low. If things got too intense to handle, if the muggle got too clingy or demanding, it was easy enough to use memory charms to make an easy escape. But Mrs. Goyle never dreamed that Lucius did it too. Of course, he brought her to this remote town, but still...imagine what Narcissa would think!

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	22. Are you seated comfortably?

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling

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"Arthur especially will love this--he'll be in seventh heaven getting to visit a genuine muggle home," Karen grinned.

"But, going to the movies? That's just so commonplace."

"Oh, Steve, it's commonplace to you and me, not them. We'll eat here first, and then take in a movie. It will be fun, you'll see. Hey, we might not even need to go anywhere. Arthur might not want to leave the kitchen."

"Now, Karen, don't make fun."

"But I'm not! I like Arthur. I just never thought our everyday existence was interesting enough to ever be somebody's _hobby." _

Later that evening the Weasleys arrived, and as Karen had predicted, Arthur was fascinated as they conducted the tour of the house. Steve commented, half-jokingly, that Arthur should take notes.

"May I really?" And with that, he pulled out some parchment he had in his pocket and started scribbling furiously, oblivious to the amused smile Karen shot at Steve.

Over dinner Arthur happened to mention Lucius Malfoy ever-so-casually in an anecdote about work and Molly looked over at him, nodding her head in agreement. Karen got up and busied herself pouring more wine, hoping she was acting normal enough, afraid that if she looked at anybody the truth would be obvious in her face. She had seen Lucius several more times since he took her to the coffee shop, and while she hadn't cheated on Steve _technically_, she could never tell him just what they'd been up to--how they were forever speaking to each other in innuendo, how they were forever finding excuses to touch each other, innocently enough if it hadn't been for their adulterous attraction to each other. And here Arthur had dropped his name so easily into the conversation.

It was obvious neither Weasley thought very highly of Lucius; but when it came right down to it, neither did Karen. Her attraction to him was not based on respect or liking, but on her own penchant for thrill seeking.

But the moment passed, the conversation moved on to other topics and nobody seemed to suspect anything.

Steve brought up the idea of seeing a movie and Molly and Arthur readily agreed, although Molly excused herself to the bathroom before they left. Finally alone, without anybody looking at her, she locked the door and pulled a small flask filled with firewhiskey and drank from it with a sense of relief. The wine Karen served was very nice, Molly reflected, but she needed something a little stronger.

They hit some traffic on the way to the theater, but it didn't seem to bother the Weasleys at all. When they got there they chose a movie, bought their tickets and some popcorn and found seats. Arthur thought the movie going process was fascinating and kept his eyes glued to the screen--whether it was advertisements, previews or the movie itself. Nobody seemed to notice that Molly was getting quieter and quieter until she shut her eyes completely. But then all of a sudden, about a third of the way into the movie, she excused herself to the ladies' room, waving off Karen's offer to accompany her. After several minutes Steve went to get some more popcorn.

Arthur leaned across the empty seat to Karen and started whispering questions to her, who whispered answers back to him, ignoring the shushing from the irate moviegoers all around them. But then Arthur, trying to be polite, moved to the seat next to her so he could question her at length.

"Our photographs move something like this," he whispered, "but they don't tell stories--and the subjects can leave anytime they want to."

_Shh!!_

"I know, I've seen your pictures."

"Then how do you people do this without magic?"

_Shh!!_

Karen frowned. "The way I understand it is they take a bunch of pictures very fast while people are moving and talking. Then, if you show the pictures quickly, one after the other, you get a movie. Ow, hey!" She said as she got bombarded by jujubes from somebody two rows back. She turned around to glare.

"But then how do they make the movie get up on the screen there?"

"The projector shines the light through the pictures..."

"Then the pictures are as big as the screen?"

_Shh!!!_

"No, the film is little and narrow."

"Then how is it that the movie is big?"

"They use lenses."

_Shh!!_

"What does the lens do?"

Karen smiled wryly. "I'm afraid I really don't know, Arthur. I don't completely understand it myself. But do you understand everything about how magic works?"

"I suppose not. This is really quite fascinating. But, I would be able to hear better if people would stop all that _shh_ noise."

At this, Karen dissolved into laughter, hands clasped over her face as she tried to stifle the sound, which only served to make the shushing louder.

"Arthur, you better wait until after the show to ask any more questions. We're going to get asked to leave."

"But..."

_Shh!!_

"You still have that parchment?"

"I'm afraid I left my pencil at your house," he whispered sheepishly.

"Oh, for..." she muttered as she dug around in her purse and found a pen. Shoving it at him she hissed, "For Merlin's sake, write it down!"

He started scribbling furiously.

Meanwhile, Molly found her way to the ladies' room and took another sip from her flask.

Steve, who had just finished buying the popcorn, saw Molly emerge from the ladies' room. But rather than find her seat, she wandered into a little alcove next to the front door where some video games were. Sitting sideways in the seat of a virtual driving game, she leaned tiredly, staring through the glass door at the parking lot.

He went over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She hadn't heard him approach and she jumped.

"Hey, I'm sorry--didn't mean to scare you," he said

"Oh, it's not your fault," she replied, then promptly wished she could take back what she said because he looked at her with concern. He sat down on the virtual snowmobile game next to her.

"Are you okay? You've been really quiet all night."

What could she say to him? He wouldn't understand what was frightening her these days, the stress she was under--he didn't know enough of her world to understand. So she gave him a partial answer. "I'm just worried about a friend. It's okay, everything will be fine, I'm sure."

"Okay, but if you ever need to talk," he said as he put an arm around her to give her a quick hug...But not long enough to risk getting _caught_.

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	23. Simple Man

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling

**Thank you for your interest in this fic...**

It was a glittering, swanky, fabulous party; supposedly for employees of the Ministry of Magic, but it was by invitation only. Certainly one wouldn't want just any old riffraff to show up.

In the powder room, Narcissa Malfoy checked her reflection in the mirror and was pleased with what she saw. _Some_ witches she could mention resorted to tricks such as Beautifying Potions and Hair Thickening Charms, but thank Merlin, she never had to do anything like that. She checked her gown one more time. Hair pulled back into a French twist, dressed in navy silk cut on rather severe lines, she looked just right--the wife of a high ranking Ministry employee on his way up the career ladder. She took a deep breath and proceeded towards the main Hall.

She rejoined her husband, and to her surprise, they were caught up by Tonks. Somehow the girl must have finagled an invitation through her connection with the House of Black. She greeted Narcissa and Lucius cordially, with a kiss for Aunt Cissy and a handshake for Uncle Lucius. Somehow Tonks could never bring herself to greet him more affectionately than with a handshake. She knew very well his feelings towards her muggle-born father.

Narcissa was dismayed and a little amused that Tonks had decided to wear a flame orange dress with her bubblegum pink hair. But then again, Tonks had always been different.

"How nice to see you, Nymphadora," she said.

"Yeah, fancy party, huh?"

"We didn't expect to see you here."

"That exclusive, Aunt Cissy?"

"You know I didn't mean..."

Tonks shrugged. Aunt Cissy had always been a dreadful snob. "I know people," Tonks said. "And besides, I'm a very valuable Ministry employee with a spotless record."

Narcissa wasn't sure if there was sarcasm behind that remark or a dig at Lucius, but she decided to ignore it.

"I'm on a new assignment," Tonks continued. "Somebody's been bewitching muggle objects to make them lethal. We're going to find out who's doing it." Her eyes went to Uncle Lucius to see his reaction. Tonks personally doubted he had anything to do with it--didn't seem quite his style--but he might know who was doing it. Uncle Lucius raised his eyebrow at her.

"How nice, dear," said Narcissa smoothly. "Certainly we would never _condone_ such dreadful devices."

"Of course not," said Tonks, still staring at Uncle Lucius. "But I'm afraid I must leave you now--I see somebody I simply must say hello to."

When Tonks left, Narcissa turned to her husband. "Why was the girl staring at you like that?"

"She's your niece, dearest. You tell me why she feels the need to act like an idiot."

Before a quarrel could start, they were interrupted by Cornelius Fudge, who was working the room and had made his way to them.

"Mrs. Malfoy, how wonderful to see you."

The three of them exchanged meaningless pleasantries until another Ministry official joined them and drew Lucius away.

"May I freshen your drink Mrs. Malfoy?" Offered Fudge.

She agreed and they made their way to the refreshment table. He handed her the drink and they went to sit down. They found a spot that was a little shielded from the view of the other partygoers. Narcissa steered the conversation to the subject she wanted to discuss with him.

"Naturally, Mr. Fudge, Lucius and I are quite concerned about all these attacks on muggle-borns at Hogwarts. Not that our son would be in danger, naturally but we hate to see such unwarranted attacks on anybody."

"I appreciate your concern, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Of course, we have the fullest confidence in the Ministry. And I have the fullest confidence in _you_...as Minister of Magic, that is," she said as she looked at him from under her lashes.

"Thank you for your confidence," he replied, a little uncertainly.

"I really hate to cast aspersions on anybody, especially when they're not even here to defend themselves, but of course in desperate times..." she continued, eyes down.

"I understand, Mrs. Malfoy. Do continue."

"It's...it's just that...well...between you and me, do you really think Albus Dumbledore is, well, quite suitable to run Hogwarts anymore? He's getting up there in years, and some of his choices of employees..." she let her voice die away, but looked up at him with limpid blue eyes and he had to look away.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean."

Narcissa continued, "Well, for instance, there's Rubeus Hagrid--he was expelled--not even allowed to practice magic. I don't know all the details, but I'm sure it must have been for a very good reason. And then just last year there was Professor Quirrel..." her eyes narrowed slightly as she thought about Severus Snape. "And I'm sure there are...others... whose past histories would not bear close inspection."

"I'm afraid you're talking to the wrong person," he said nervously. "The Board of Governors is in charge of overseeing Hogwarts. Mr. Malfoy is on the Board, is he not?"

"Of course he is! But all the same, I'm sure it helps them in their decision making to know they have the full backing of the Ministry."

"I'm not sure I know what you want me to do," he said, even more nervously, looking for an escape.

Narcissa, seeing that she'd pushed Fudge as far as she dared, changed tactics. Sitting back and wrapping her hands demurely around her drink, she affected an expression as innocent and bland as a baby's. "I didn't mean to upset you, Minister, truly. I just needed to talk to somebody, you know. I was just worried about some things."

Fudge relented that he had tried to escape from her. After all, she was just a mother worried about the school her son went to. "Let me tell you what I can do, Mrs. Malfoy. We can increase our oversight of Hogwarts, make sure everything is being done for the safety of those poor children."

"Oh, thank you Cornelius!" She exclaimed, then looked down, blushing. "I mean, Mr. Fudge."

At that moment, Cornelius Fudge felt very masterful.

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	24. debitas

Disclaimer—I don't own Harry Potter, the books, the intellectual property or anything else about it—all belongs to JK Rowling

"With all due respect, Headmaster, that wizard's a complete fraud! Half the time his spells don't work and the rest of the time he's covering his own incompetence by making the students clean up his messes. You know what happened at that so-called duelling club."

Snape and Dumbledore were in the Headmaster's office and Snape was standing in front of the desk, furious.

"Maybe the spell slipped his mind."

"Slipped his mind? What mind? I don't think Lockheart ever had enough _mind_ to learn a spell to begin with! A spell couldn't do anything but slip _his_ mind."

"Now, Severus, don't you think that's a little harsh?"

"Why did you have to hire him anyway?"

"There weren't that many applicants for the position. Actually, he was the only one..."

Snape crossed his arms, frowning resentfully.

"Severus," Dumbledore sighed heavily. "You know why I didn't hire you. You know why I don't think that's a good idea. We've talked about this before. Besides, I need you elsewhere. Nobody else has the grasp on Potions that you have."

"Yes, so I can go around cooking up weird concoctions in cauldrons while Lockheart goes around bragging how he's defeated this many evil creatures and that many Dark practitioners..." He threw up his hands in disgust.

"I understand your concern..." Dumbledore tried to speak soothingly.

Snape struggled to regain his composure.

"You have to trust me Severus, Potions is where I need you to be right now."

Snape was calm again, at least outwardly, but he couldn't completely be at ease with Dumbledore, wondering, always wondering if there _had_ been something between him and Narcissa.

"You've come so far since that night the Potters died," Dumbledore was still speaking." Would you really want to lose all the ground you've gained?"

Snape shook his head abruptly, but he still looked unhappy. That was as much as Dumbledore could realistically hope for, however.

hHhHhHh

Molly pulled her hood over her head as she left Borgin and Burkes. She had a strong feeling of presentiment and wanted to leave Knockturn Alley as quickly as possible. But she'd barely gone past three shops when she was blocked by a wizard standing directly in her way. She looked up into his face and sighed with dismay. It was him.

He held his hand out to her and she had no choice but to take it. She allowed him to lead her through the streets and into the very worst parts of town. She wasn't sure where he was taking her, for she kept her hood over her head and her face down. But she knew him a little better now since their first encounter. He would bring her back to a place she knew and she would be able to Aparate home.

He pulled her into an alley and up a narrow, rickety flight of wooden stairs and through a door into a dingy apartment. He motioned her into the kitchen chair and went to the cabinet. After a moment of rummaging around he tossed her a bottle of lukewarm butterbeer. Molly would have preferred something much stronger but she wasn't in a position to demand anything.

She opened the bottle and took a sip. She did enjoy the pleasant feeling of warmth that stole through her veins, but she was afraid of what he would have to say.

"How much did you bring in today, Molly?" He asked.

"Twenty five galleons," she muttered resentfully.

"You know my cut. Ten per cent."

Molly dug around inside her robe and presented him with the required amount. "Take me back, now," she said.

The wizard looked surprised. "No, please, continue your butterbeer."

"Surely you can see I don't want to stay here."

"But why? Have I mistreated you?"

She looked at him ironically.

He shrugged. "I need to make a living too," he said, not at all defensively. "But have I laid a hand on you? Or tricked you with any spells or charms?"

"No." Molly muttered.

"Then you shouldn't be so angry at me. It's you who should have been more discreet. Then I wouldn't have to protect you with my silence. And I don't mind protecting you, but you need to help me out, too. And that's where my cut comes in."

"You're a git."

"Now, my dear Mrs. Weasley, is this name calling absolutely necessary?"

"For you, yes."

He threw back his head and laughed. "I like doing business with you, Molly. You keep me amused."

"That's my goal in life. Keep _you_ amused."

He shrugged. "Have it your way, then. I'll take you back as soon as you finish your butterbeer."

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